Collective Souls
by bluephoenixsong
Summary: Miami Dade receives a couple new transfers from Vegas. How will these new team members affect the lives of the current team? Rated T for strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**This is an idea that popped into my head one day. So I decided to put pen to paper and see where it went. A lot of this story I came up with as I was writing it. In fact there were very few things that I actually had planned out as I was writing it. There was one thing I did plan, though. I attempted to write an entire story without any major smut scenes. There is some soft smut material but I tried to keep this story within a Teen rating. It was surprisingly harder said than done, but I think I kept this one pretty clean.**

**There was one thing I did realize while I was working on this story- Ryan and Horatio seem to be one of my favorite character pairings, no matter how they're paired together. I've had them as coworkers, lovers, friends, and in my series "The Intern" Ryan is dating Horatio's daughter (Jessica). I think it's because they're my two favorite characters from CSI: Miami.**

**This story does not coincide with any of my other stories. Sorry to those who have become fans of the character Jessica Caine that I created. She's not in this story and for good reason, which you will see eventually.**

**I actually got the title for this story when I was shopping one day. I was intending to buy a couple of CDs from this band that I really like but accidentally bought one by a band called Collective Soul. I didn't realize it wasn't the band I was looking for until I had already started playing it on my stereo. I really like it though so I decided to keep it and it kind of became my inspiration while I wrote this story, about accidentally finding something great.**

**Anyways, onto the story.**

Collective Souls

'_We have a new arrival coming in today. Please meet in the layout room to help welcome them. It should only take a few minutes. You're welcome to leave afterwards. -H'_

* * *

><p>Ryan Wolfe sulked his way to the layout room. There were a couple of new transfers coming in from Las Vegas and Horatio decided the team should have a meeting to introduce the first of the arrivals. Ryan was tired from working and just wanted to go home after pulling an all nighter on a stake out that resulted in the suspect getting away. He missed his wife and daughter and felt that he never saw them anymore.<p>

Ryan could see the layout room coming into view. There was a man standing with Horatio that he didn't recognize and Eric was just walking in. Ryan heard his audible "Hey Wolfe!" but noticed Eric had his back to him. Eric stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway. Ryan came up behind him and gave him a weak shove.  
>"Move Eric," he muttered, "You make a better door than a window."<br>Eric turned and looked at Ryan baffled. Then he turned back towards the layout room.  
>"Eric, I know you say I'm a little guy but I can't get around you." Ryan said as began to become agitated, "Let me in. I hate these kinds of games."<p>

Eric finally moved and walked over to the table, still staring at the new arrival. Ryan assumed his place next to Eric. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of the drowsiness he was feeling due to lack of sleep and coffee. He blinked several times as his eyes readjusted and looked at the new transfer.

Ryan stared at the other man and felt like his heart had stopped. He was a few inches taller than Ryan with light brown hair that had random blonde highlights placed strategically just right. He was lean and kind of scrawny but still fairly well toned. His ears seemed to stick out just ever so slightly and his jaw was square and prominent. On the right side of his face were three freckles, perfectly placed so that they made a triangle.

But it was his eyes were what stuck out the most. They were large and wide. They were hazel with a ring of green around the pupil with a caramel color swirled in them. They were just like Ryan's.

Ryan looked at the man and felt his jaw drop. He jumped slightly when the man made an identical expression and the man had the same reaction. Ryan leaned to his right as the man did the exact same thing. Ryan snapped back into place as the man resumed his position. Ryan's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward and watched as the other man mimicked his movement perfectly.

"You playing some kind of game here buddy?" Ryan muttered.

"Nope, just trying to do the same thing you're doing." The other man responded.

"Dude, Wolfe, do you have a brother you forgot to tell us about?" Eric asked.

"No I'm pretty sure you know who I am Delko." Walter said as he walked into the room. He stopped and stared at the new guy and then back at Ryan. "Or maybe not."

Horatio ended the silence and confusion. "Eric, Walter, Ryan, I would like to introduce the first of our two transfers, Greg Sanders." The man smiled shyly and briefly waved at the group. "The rest of our team has already gone home for the day Greg," Horatio said, "But I thought you would like to meet some of your new team before you go home and get settled in. I hear you have a little one who needs some attending to."

"Um, yeah, I do." Greg said. His voice was higher pitched than Ryan's but his tone sounded similar. "Lucy doesn't like flying, she complains the whole way and I think Nicky is probably tired."

"Is Nicky your wife?" Eric asked.

Greg stood there for a moment uncomfortable before he began. "Yeah, Nicky's my spouse." He fiddled with the gold wedding band on his left hand. "Nicky took a later flight so that way Lucy didn't have to fly at night; she hates that so much more."

"So Lucy's your daughter?" Ryan tentatively asked.

"Yes," Greg proudly said with a smile, "She's adopted." He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. He held it out for Ryan. On the screen was a small girl sitting on the lap of another man at a desk. "That's my office at my old lab. That's my partner Nick."

Ryan smiled at the picture. Lucy looked to only be about three or four years old with jet black hair, pale skin, and emerald green eyes. "She's adorable," Ryan said as he handed the phone to Eric. He smiled at Greg. "That's really great you adopted a child."

"Yeah Nicky and I can't have children and Lucy needed a home." Greg shyly said.

Ryan smiled at him again. "I'm adopted, too."

"Yeah if you couldn't tell by the white face," Walter said as he nudged Ryan. Ryan rolled his eyes and nudged him back.

Greg looked at the two men. "Are you guys brothers?"

"Unfortunately," Ryan said, "It's a rather interesting story, too."

"Really?" Greg prompted, "Would you mind telling me?"

"Well one day our mom, Taylor, opened her front door and nearly stepped on me. During the night my birthmother had left me on Taylor's doorstep with a note saying my name was Ryan and I was born on August 25th and nothing else. She took me to the hospital and had me checked out. They attempted to track down my birthmother but it turns out twenty Caucasian boys were born on August 25th that year and out of those twenty seven were abandonments. They don't even know what my last was and they couldn't find a birth certificate. So the doctors told Taylor they would keep me and when I was healthy they would put me up for adoption. She looked at the doctors and told them to call her when her baby was ready."

Greg smiled at Ryan. "That's a great story, but why do you guys have different last names?" Greg pointed to Ryan and Walter's ID badges.

"Well I was adopted during Taylor's first marriage." Ryan explained, "So our oldest sister, Mary Ellen, and I have the last name Wolfe while the other five, including Wally here, have the last name Simmons. Which is also when our family moved to Miami from New Orleans."

"Um, if you don't mind me asking," Greg said, "Is the rest of your family…"

"Black?" Ryan finished, "Yup, and really tall, too. Everyone used to call me the white chocolate chip at the family reunions." Ryan chuckled and smiled at the memory.

"So you don't know your birth family at all?" Greg asked.

Ryan shook his head. "A lot of people, including my wife, have asked me if it bothers me that I never knew my real family. I just tell them I know who my real family was. Family isn't about blood and genetics. It's about love and caring and who's there for you when you need them. My birthparents aren't my real family. Taylor and Daniel Simmons are my real parents."

Greg felt his heart swell and he smiled. "That's an incredible story and a great credo. It really makes me feel great about adopting."

Ryan smiled. "Yeah, I've asked my wife if we could adopt our next baby, especially since something's not working."

"Oh yeah, how so?" Greg asked.

"Well we've been trying for another baby but it's just been two years of failing." Ryan said with a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

"At least it's fun failure!" Greg cracked.

Ryan couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head and smiled at the other man. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

Ryan slid Greg's phone back to him. "You have a beautiful daughter," he said with a smile. "So what's your family like?"

Greg shifted in his spot. "Well my mother, Rochelle, raised me as a single parent and I never knew my father. She did eventually get married and Henry adopted me. So I guess I'm kind of adopted, too." Greg said with a slightly perplexed expression on his face.

"What happened to your father?" Walter asked.

"I never knew my biological father." Greg said, "I was the result of a one night stand apparently. My mom considered giving me up and she was still unsure about having a baby up until the day I was born. But she said the second she laid eyes on me she knew she couldn't let me go. So I guess I was a lucky bastard."

Ryan chuckled and smiled at the joke. "You're very optimistic, I like that."

"Thanks," Greg said with a smile, "Nicky's always said one of the reasons we got married was my attitude about life."

A small voice interrupted their conversation. "Daddy!" a small child exclaimed as she ran into the room. She had jet black hair and toddled her way around the table. Greg smiled and knelt down and lifted the child into his arms. "Hey baby, what are you doing here?"

"Pa-pa said we were going to pick you up at your new lab!" the little girl excitedly explained, "When we didn't see you he said we could come in and look for you!"

"Well that was nice of him." Greg said with a smile, "Maybe we can introduce him to everyone while you guys are here."

"Yeah, some introductions would be nice."

Ryan, Walter, and Eric turned and looked towards the door. The man from the picture on Greg's phone was leaning against the doorframe. He smiled at Greg and walked over to his side.

"Hey babe, miss me?" he asked in a Texas accent as he pecked Greg on the cheek. Greg stood there uneasy for a moment without responding. The man looked at Greg's embarrassed expression and then at the slightly shocked looks the other men in the room were giving him. He groaned and shook his head.

"Greg," he grudgingly said, "You promised me this wouldn't be like when I met your family! You promised they would know I was a man before I got here!"

Horatio once again was the one to break the silence. "Um, this is Nick Stokes, our other transfer from Las Vegas. Nick and Greg are, um, well they're…"

"Partners," Nick said, "Lovers, spouses, life partners, husbands, married. We're married…but Greg probably told you all of that except the part where I'm a man."

The room was silent as the three Miami CSIs tried to process what had just happened.

"Well this explains why Greg said he and his spouse couldn't have children," Walter said.

**Having Nick and Greg married was one of the things that just kind of popped into my head while I was writing. Not gonna lie, I kind of enjoy Nick and Greg slash material. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Hey Mom, it's Greg. I just wanted to call and let you know Nicky and I are in Miami now and we've got our new house set up. Well as set up as a few air mattresses and a card table and lawn chairs is going to get. But don't worry we're going shopping later to get some real furniture. Um, just give me a call back. I'd really like to talk and maybe just hear your voice. I miss you and I love you Momma. Please call me back. I could really use some advice right now."_

* * *

><p>It was an awkward drive home. Nick refused to talk to Greg as he drove through the streets of Miami, listening to the directions his GPS was giving. Lucy sat in the backseat, watching as her two fathers silently argued.<p>

"Pa-pa, why are you mad at Daddy?"

Nick tried to smile at her but it was a grim expression. "I'm not mad at Daddy, I'm just upset."

"Why are you upset?"

Nick sighed and pretended to concentrate on turning onto the right street. "Pa-pa's mad because I didn't tell our new team he's a man." Greg chimed in, "He seems to think the most important thing to tell someone when you meet them is that you're gay and married to a man."

"Greg I didn't say that!" Nick snapped, "I'm just upset because you promised me we weren't going to hide this like we did in Vegas for so long!"

"I didn't hide anything!" Greg argued back, "I told them you were my partner and spouse!"

"But did you call me Nicky?" Nick exasperatingly asked, "Because that's what you always referred to me with your mother and she thought I was a woman! I mean is it that big a deal to say husband?"  
>"Nick I was nervous!" Greg snapped, "I was alone, in a new city that's bigger than our last home, and I was a little edgy! I'm sorry I didn't come right out and say I fuck boys!"<p>

"You better not be fucking boys!" Nick angrily retorted, "Because I'm pretty sure that ceremony wasn't fake!"

"I didn't mean I was fucking other men! I meant I didn't say I was gay! I mean you never know with new people how they'll react to this and I was scared. I'm sorry Nicky, please, can we just put this behind us?"

"You know Greg I really don't think I want to just push this issue to the side. I'm really pissed that you did this again."

"Nick, I'm sorry. I was wrong, I'll admit that. But what would you have done if you were in my position?"

"I would have stood strong and proudly said I'm gay and married to the man of my dreams with a beautiful little girl!" Nick barked, "I'm not afraid to say it anymore!"

"Even after what happened to Matthew?" Greg angrily asked.

Nick suddenly was silent. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and Greg could sense the pain flowing through his body. Greg could see the tears forming in his eyes, even through his dark sunglasses.

"Nick I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up Matthew."

"Yes you did." Nick said as his voice cracked, "You just had to bring up what happened to my poor brother."

"No I didn't." Greg pleaded, "I didn't mean to say it. It just kind of slipped out."

"Shut up!" Nick abruptly yelled, "You have no right to talk about my brother! You don't know the pain my family and I went through! Then you know what I had to do after that happened? I had to tell my parents that I was also gay! You have no idea what kind of grief my parents had to go through, knowing both their sons were gay!"

"Nick I'm sorry!" Greg said, his voice full of anguish. "I didn't mean to say that."

"Just shut up." Nick sorely muttered as he pulled into the driveway of their new house, "Just shut up."

Nick cut the engine and quickly walked into the house. Greg sat there and watched him walk away as tears began to crawl down his face. Lucy crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around Greg's neck. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "Hey baby," he quietly muttered.

Lucy looked up at her father with her large emerald eyes. "I still love you, Daddy." She quietly said, "I'm not mad at you."

Greg held his daughter tightly against his body and cried into her hair. "I love you, too, Lucy."


	3. Chapter 3

'_Omg Mary Ellen, I met a guy today who looks just like me! It's the freakiest thing ever! Give me a call later sis, it's been a while. –Ryan'_

* * *

><p>Ryan walked into the living room of his house and flopped onto the couch. His beagle eagerly bounded over to him and he smiled as he scratched behind his ear. "Hey Maxx," he said, "Where's Khandice?"<p>

"Right here," a sultry voice said. Ryan turned to see his beautiful wife walk into the room. She sat on his lap and straddled her legs on either side of his hips. "And I'm ready for our baby attempting tonight." She said as she bit at his ear.

Ryan groaned and stopped her as she tried to undo his belt. "Not tonight Hun," he muttered, "I'm too tired."

Khandice groaned and angrily stood from the couch. "But I've been waiting all day!" she whined.

"I'm sorry, but I've been awake for thirty-six hours now." Ryan said as he walked past her, "I just want to go to bed right now, ok?"

"Ryan do you even love me anymore?"

Ryan froze at the sound of her accusation. "Do I love you anymore?"

"Yes, because very time I want to make love you turn me away!" Khandice whined again, "It makes me feel like you don't love me anymore!"

Ryan sighed and walked back to her. He kissed her lightly and ran his hands through her hair. "I'm sorry Hun. I do, I love you very much. I'm just tired. I haven't left the lab in almost two days and then I had to sit through a meeting with the new guys who are apparently having marital issues of their own, so I had to get an earful of that."

"Guys? What do you mean?"

"They're gay, they got married seven years ago in Boston, and I guess Greg still has some problems with saying they're married."

"Well that seems silly."

"Yeah, and I guess Nick thought so too." Ryan said, "They have an adorable little adopted girl though."

Khandice smiled at him. "That's sweet."

Ryan looked at her. Her long blonde hair was draped down her back and her dark brown eyes watched him study her. "Khandi, can we adopt?"

Khandice gave him a questioning look. "Are you asking because you think we can't have any more children?"

"No, because seeing that little girl and how happy see was with her fathers brought back so many memories." Ryan explained, "You don't know what it's like growing up being told someone else is your family, never knowing who your birthparents are. So many children are abandoned and left to die because no one wants to love them. I was almost one of them. I want to adopt a baby because I want to give them a chance to be loved."

Khandice gave him a weak smile. "Alright, I'll start making calls in the next few days."

Ryan smiled at her and kissed her gently again. "Thanks," he quietly said.

"So if you're not going to fuck me senseless then at least tell me about these new guys." Khandice said as she led Ryan to their bedroom.

"Well they're from the Las Vegas Crime Lab, they got married in Massachusetts when same sex marriages first became legalized there, and they adopted a baby girl almost four years ago, whose name is Lucy."

"What's their last name?"

"Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes," Ryan said, "They decided to keep their names. Then when they adopted Lucy they named her Lucy Sanders-Stokes."

"That makes sense." Khandice said as she guided Ryan to sit on the bed. She began pulling his shoes and socks off and then started on his jeans. "What did they do in Vegas?"

"Greg started as a DNA tech and that's when he and Nick met. Nick was a CSI for the grave shift and was apparently straight up until the day he met Greg."

"How's that?" Khandice asked as she began massaging Ryan's shoulders.

"Well I guess he dated women and never really considered men until he met Greg." Ryan explained, "He said the second he laid eyes on Greg he fell in love."

"That's romantic." Khandice said with a smile.

"Yeah, Greg described himself as bi-curious. He said he kind of had an interest in men but preferred women for a long time. But it was kind of the same deal Nick had. Nick said it was fate, they were meant to be together."

"That's a great story." Khandice said, biting at Ryan's neck.

Ryan tried to push her off but she dug her nails into his shoulders. "Hun, I told you, I'm too tired to rise to the occasion."

"Oh come on," Khandice whined, "Hearing about these gay guys just turned me on so much."

"I don't understand how but whatever." Ryan said as he crawled away from her. He buried himself under his blankets wearing just his boxers and t-shirt. "Just let me sleep for a few hours and we can have some fun before I go to work tomorrow."

"We can't," Khandice said as she walked across the room, "Olivia starts preschool tomorrow so you need to drop her off on your way in and the school's not on your normal route so you'll have to find a way there."

Ryan groaned and rolled over. "Can't you take her in?"

"No, I have an appointment with my agent." Khandice greedily said.

"At seven in the morning?"

"No, but I have to get ready."

Ryan sighed and rolled back onto his back. "Fine I'll take Olivia to preschool."

Khandice giggled and crawled on top of him. "Well that's what you get for marrying a supermodel." She started to stroke him through the blankets.

Ryan rolled away from her and out of the bed. "I'm going to sleep in the guest bedroom."

Khandice scoffed and looked at him. "Why?" she whined.

"Because I'm tired and I told you I didn't want sex tonight and you keep trying." Ryan said, rather annoyed by his wife's persistence. "You don't understand how tired I am Khandi."

"Well excuse me, it's not like I work all day, too."

Ryan looked at her and rolled his eyes. "You pose for a camera all day and I solve crimes. Who do you think has the tougher job?"

**If you haven't caught on yet, each chapter starts with a text or voice mail by a character about something that happens in that chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

"_Hey H, it's Ryan. I'm going to be a little late to work today; I have to take Olivia to preschool. Sorry about the late notice…my wife just told me last night."_

* * *

><p>Greg secretly smiled when his husband pinned him against the counter and kissed him passionately. "I'm sorry babe," Nick said, "I was so mean to you yesterday."<p>

"No, you're fine. You were right, I was wrong. I should have told our new team we were married and that you were a man. I can't be such a chicken shit all the time." Greg ran his fingers through Nick's short hair. "And I'm sorry I brought up Matthew. I know the wounds still seem fresh."

Nick leaned his forehead against Greg's. "It's ok, it's just difficult to think about sometimes."

Greg kissed the end of his nose. "How about some breakfast before we take Lucy to preschool?"

"Breakfast before work?" Nick asked, "Now that's just not right."

* * *

><p>Ryan held his daughter's hand as they walked into the school together. They were dozens of parents with their children, meeting and greeting their child's new teachers. Ryan held Olivia in his arms as they waited at one of the registration tables. A voice not too far away caught his attention.<p>

"Married? You two are married?" asked a stern female voice.

"Yes ma'am, have been for seven years." A male voice with a Texas accent responded.

"And who is the father of the child?"

"We both are." A different but quirky male voice responded.

"How can you both be her father?"

Ryan turned and looked at the next registration table. Nick and Greg were standing with their daughter, seemingly arguing with the woman at the table. Something about the situation bothered Ryan and he couldn't just stand there and watch.

"Well we both adopted her," Greg explained, "So we're both her father."

"Sir I don't see how that's possible." The woman said, "A child can only have one father."

"Well actually it's possible for her to have two fathers." Ryan interjected as he walked over to the table, unable to keep his thoughts to himself any longer, "And there's nothing wrong with it. Nick and Greg adopted Lucy because they love her and they care for her and that's exactly what a father's supposed to do."

The woman looked at Ryan slightly shocked. "Excuse me sir, but you have no right to interrupt my meeting."

"And you have no right to say these men aren't adequate parents just because you're some kind of closed-minded yuppy." Ryan retorted, "I work with these men and let me tell you they are fine investigators. Now if you'll excuse me I think I'm going to go else where to register my child, maybe even a different school."

Ryan turned and walked back to his original registration table. The young woman at the table smiled at him as she accepted his paperwork.

"Thank you so much." She said with a smile, "I've been waiting for someone to put her in her place for years now."

Ryan smiled at her. "I take it she's one of those people you just wait for her to retire?"

The young woman laughed and smiled at him. "Yeah, which luckily she has retired but she came back to help with registration day because we're always swamped the first week. She thought she was doing us a favor by coming back." she smiled again and held out her hand. "My name's Samantha Bones."

Ryan smiled as he shook her hand. "Ryan Wolfe; and this seemingly angelic girl is my daughter Olivia Wolfe. We're here for preschool."

"You both are?"

"Well no, just Olivia," Ryan said, his ears turning red. "I'm just here to drop her off before I head off to work."

"Where do you work?"

"Miami Dade Crime Lab," Ryan said.

"You're a cop?"

"Yes and a crime scene investigator." Ryan set Olivia on the floor and smiled at her. "I have to go now Olivia."

The small child wrapped her arms around his leg. "No! Don't leave me Daddy!"

"Olivia I have to." he ran his fingers through her hair, "I'm sorry baby but I have to go to work."

"But if you leave who will be with me?"

"I'll stay with you." A vaguely familiar voice said. Lucy Sanders-Stokes walked over to Olivia and held out her hand. "My Daddy and Pa-pa are leaving for work, too. We can be each others friend."

Olivia looked at the other girl and then back at her father. Her blue eyes were shining with tears. Ryan knelt down and kissed her forehead. "Everything will be fine Olivia. Lucy's a very nice person. You can trust her."

Olivia looked back at the other little girl. She slowly took her hand and held it for a moment. They started walking away together.

"My name's Lucy, I'm new here."

"I'm Olivia, I'm new too."

"I have two dads. Do you have two dads?"

"No but I wish I did."

Ryan smiled to himself as he watched his daughter walk away. He felt his heart swell at the sight of his daughter growing up so fast. He walked out of the school alone and leaned against his car, thinking about what Olivia had said.

"Hey chief you better hurry or you'll be late!" Ryan turned and looked at Nick Stokes hanging his head out of the driver side window of his black SUV smiling at him. "And from what I've heard Horatio Caine doesn't take too lightly to tardiness!"

Ryan smiled and waved him off. "You better hurry before I take back what I said!" Ryan hollered at him as he climbed into his car.

Ryan followed Nick and Greg to the crime lab, laughing when they took a wrong turn. He pulled into his usual spot and leaned against his Jetta as he waited for Nick and Greg to appear. When they did they walked over to Ryan.

"Hey chief, you could have told us we went the wrong way." Nick jokingly said.

"Well my Momma always said it was good for people to get lost once in a while," Ryan playfully retorted, "Helps them learn how not to the next time."

"Oh shut up you!" Nick laughed. He stopped and smiled at Ryan. "Thanks Ryan, you didn't have to do that."

Ryan smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Well I don't know how you guys did things back in Vegas but here in Miami we're a family and we're there for each other when we're needed. That woman needed to be told she was being a bitch, so that's what I did. You guys would have done the same thing for me."

Nick smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Cute girl you've got there Ryan." Nick said as they walked into the building, "Beautiful blue eyes. Did she get those from her mother?"

Ryan sighed and stared at his feet while they waited for the elevator. "I don't know where she got them." he quietly muttered, "Khandice's eyes are brown, just like the rest of her family."

"Maybe it's recessive." Greg suggested, "You know because a recessive gene like blue eyes can be passed from generation to generation without anyone knowing. You guys just got a freak case because your eyes are hazel, a lighter color than brown, and Khandice was a carrier of the blue eye gene. Recessive plus recessive equals ancient genes no one's seen for generations. That and you don't actually know what your genetic history is so you could be the carrier of the blue eye genes."

Ryan gave Greg a blank stare. "Do you always just ramble off random facts like that?"

"Yes he does," Nick said with a chuckle, "You want to know a secret? When we first started dating he would ramble off the most random facts and start gibbering in Norwegian. It was a little weird at first but it started to grow on me."

Greg's ears turned red and an embarrassed expression overtook his face. Nick chuckled and leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Love you G." Nick said as the elevator doors opened.

"Must be nice to be married to someone with a brain," Ryan muttered.

"What, you calling your girl dumb?" Nick asked.

"Well she's a supermodel and you know what that means." Ryan said with a roll of his eyes.

"She dropped out of med school?" Nick suggestively asked.

"More like community college," Ryan said, "Not that there's anything wrong with community college but she dropped out within two months of enrolling to pursue a career in modeling."

"Must have worked out if she's a supermodel," Greg suggested. "I mean as easy as it sounds it really isn't. Millions of people audition for those jobs and she made it. She must be…good? Is that the word they use?"

Ryan chuckled and smiled as he opened his locker. "Sexy is what she calls it."

"Well something got your attention about her." Greg said, "I mean you married her after all."

"Well she was hot, single, rich, and great in bed." Ryan explained, "I thought it was love."

"Maybe it still is." Nick suggested, "Maybe you guys just need to take some time off for yourselves. I know Greg and I take a vacation once a year."

"Well Khandi gets to take the vacation every couple of months." Ryan exasperatedly said, "She flies off to Europe or Hawaii or New Zealand for a photo shoot and I'm stuck at home with a child who I question whether she's actually mine." Ryan sighed and shook his head. "I love Olivia though, she's the reason I stay. If I divorce Khandi and it turns out Olivia's not mine then she's gone. I can't let that happen. I can't loose my baby."

"Bring in a sample of her DNA." Greg said.

Ryan looked at him confused. "What?"

"Bring in a sample of Olivia's DNA and I'll run it against yours when I'm on break or something." Greg explained, "You want my opinion that marriage doesn't sound like it's built on love. To me it sounds like Khandice only wants the free babysitter. Bring in Olivia's DNA, I'll test it, and if she's yours get out of there. And even if she isn't yours Khandice doesn't have to know. Take your baby and leave."

Ryan looked at him baffled. "You would take time during your break to run tests to see if Olivia is actually my daughter?"

Greg smiled and slowly nodded his head. "After what you did for us this morning it's the least I can do. I'm back to level one again which means I'll be spending a lot of time in the lab anyways. Give me something fun to do."

"Yeah or else he might bust out his Sports Illustrated Body Edition magazines." Nick said with a smile and laugh. "And believe me, those are something that can get the whole lab in trouble."


	5. Chapter 5

'_Ah shit Wolfe, I really fucked up.'_  
>'<em>What happened Eric?'<em>  
>'<em>I offended the new guy.'<em>  
>'<em>Which one?'<em>  
>'<em>The one that could royally kick my ass.'<em>  
>'<em>Nick I take it.'<em>

* * *

><p>Ryan stopped into the DNA lab to pick up his test results. Greg smiled at him from his place at the computer.<p>

"You guys have some fancy equipment here in Miami." He said, "Makes me almost not miss Vegas."

"Why did you guys leave Vegas?" Ryan asked, leaning against the counter, watching Greg work.

Greg sighed and stared at the computer screen. "The undersheriff found out Nick and me are married. He's a homophobe so he told Catherine we weren't fit for the lab anymore. Unfortunately she had no other choice but to follow his instructions to fire us, even though Nick's worked at the Vegas Crime Lab for seventeen years, was a CSI level three, and co-shift supervisor. I argued that he should keep his job at least, but it didn't hold up. So we both got the boot, but Catherine called Horatio and asked if he needed anymore CSIs. He said he could use a new level two and another lab tech. So Catherine transferred us here right under the undersheriff's nose. Horatio hired Nick as a level two CSI and me as a DNA specialist slash CSI level one. Not preferred but it's a job that I like and we have a daughter to provide for."

"What did you do in Vegas?" Ryan inquired.

"I was a CSI level three and part time DNA tech, back up when they needed me." Greg explained, "Horatio hesitated on hiring me because I never went to the police academy. But once he looked over my file and the letters of recommendation he reconsidered."

Ryan smiled at him. "I'm glad he decided to hire you."

Greg smiled at him. "Thanks Ryan, I am too."

Greg handed Ryan a print out from a pile he had on the table. "Sorry, I swear I have a system for my organization." He said as he dug through the stack. "I have another one somewhere around here. Where did I put it?" He shifted through the papers. "Oh geez, did I even print it out?"

Ryan chuckled and shook his head. "Just relax Greg," Ryan said.

"Sorry, just kind of nervous." Greg explained, "I got in trouble in Vegas a lot when I was a lab tech for being disorganized and I really don't want to repeat that." He picked up a paper and read over it for a second. "Here it is!" he excitedly exclaimed, "Sorry about that."

"That's ok, not like I was going anywhere since I can't move forward until I have those results."

"Ok, the skin from under the victim's nails is from an unknown male contributor," Greg explained, "And the blood on the carpeting was a mixture of the victim's and the same unknown male."

"Great, did you run the unknown's against Smith's?" Ryan asked.

Greg looked at him dumbfounded. "Who?"

"Ray Smith, my suspect."

"Shit!" Greg hissed under his breath. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about that!" Greg started searching through the samples on his tray, cursing under his breath.

Ryan chuckled and clapped his shoulder. "Don't stress about it man, I actually haven't even given it to you." He held up an evidence envelope and smirked at Greg's stressed expression.

"You asshole," Greg said, snatching the sample from his hand, "You had me all panicked over nothing!"

"Sorry man," Ryan said, still laughing, "We kind of have a thing around here about hazing the new guy. At least you didn't get a decapitated head like I did."

"They gave you a decapitated head? How thoughtful," Greg said as he prepped the sample, "You're still an asshole."

"Hey be nice or next time I'll let the crazy bitch teacher get you." Ryan said with a smirk.

Greg smiled at him. "We really can't thank you enough for what you did."

"Like I said I couldn't just stand there and watch her say those things to you guys."

Greg looked at him and smiled again. "Thanks Ryan, you've really helped us feel welcomed here." He grabbed a cotton swab and evidence envelope and held it out to Ryan. "Now let me repay you. You know the drill. And use these ones, I like them best."

Ryan smiled and accepted the cotton swab. "You're really going to test Olivia's DNA against mine?"

"Well yeah, if it was me I'd want to know. Then you can divorce her and go after that pretty teacher I saw you smiling at this morning." Greg said with a wink.

Ryan's ears turned red. He grabbed his DNA results and shook his head. "I'm leaving now…freaking weirdo."

* * *

><p>Eric looked at the new CSI named Nick. He was a few years older than Eric and seemed to know what he was doing. Eric looked at Calleigh. She was sneaking glances at the new guy as the three of them worked together dusting evidence for prints.<p>

"So what's Las Vegas like?" Calleigh asked, smiling brightly at the new guy.

Nick smiled at her as he looked away from the book he was dusting. "A lot like what you hear. Crazy people everywhere trying to win big and make it bigger. Ends in a lot of fighting and crime scenes. We got called out at all hours of the night."

"You worked the nightshift?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah, we called it the graveyard shift." Nick said in his Texas accent.

"Was it difficult? You know, never really getting to see the sun."

"Oh I said I worked the nightshift but that doesn't mean I wasn't out during the day. Hell some days Greg and I worked almost two days straight."

"Greg's the other guy that was transferred in, right?" Calleigh inquired.

"Yes" Nick said with a smile.

"Is it true you guys are married?" Calleigh asked hopefully.

"Yeah, sorry toots, I'm shackled in." Nick said with a light chuckle and a lift of his left hand.

Calleigh giggled lightly with him and smiled. "It's alright, I don't mind looking. When did you guys get married?"

"Seven years ago," Nick said, smiling at the memory. "Same sex marriage had just been legalized in Massachusetts. Greg and I had been dating for three years and I realized this could be a once in a lifetime chance to marry the man I loved. So I popped the question, we flew out to Boston the next weekend, and well we got married."

"Yeah, if you could call it that," Eric muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry," Nick said, "What did you say buddy?"

"I said if you could call it that." Eric snidely repeated.

Nick seemed to swell with anger. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. "I'm sorry but are you saying that the bond between me and my husband isn't real?" he asked, snapping his gloves off. "Because if I remember right it was. We took the same vow as everyone else, we made a promise to each other that we would be faithful, and we swore we would be together until the day we die. I don't know about you but I think that sounds just like every heterosexual wedding I've ever been to. We even wrote our own vows."

"Oh I'm not saying it isn't real," Eric said, "I'm saying it's not right."

Nick advanced towards Eric, his hands clenched into tight fists. "What's not right about it? What's wrong with the fact that I married someone I love?"

"It's not how marriage is supposed to be." Eric hissed, "Marriage is between a man and a woman, that's what the bible says."

"You're Catholic, aren't you?" Nick asked, "I can tell. You sound just like those pin heads that were standing outside the courthouse protesting as Greg and I and about a hundred other same sex couples walked in on our wedding day. Now, I'm not saying all Catholics are pin heads, no not at all. Greg's family is Catholic and you know what? They support us. Yeah it was a shock at first when his parents heard their only son was marrying a man. He hid the fact that he was gay from them for his entire life. But they accept us for who we are. They understand that we're in love and this is what we want our life to be."

Eric looked at him. He could feel the anger burning from the older man's eyes. "I don't care what you say, it's not right."

Nick advanced closer and Calleigh stopped him. "Stop Nick, just calm down."

"I can't," Nick said, his voice shaking, "I can't calm down. I'm not going to stand here and listen to some ninny talk about my lifestyle this way. I swore to Matthew I would never let anyone intimidate me because I'm gay." Nick turned and walked from the lab and stormed down the hall.

Horatio walked in and looked at Calleigh and Eric. "What happened here?" he asked.

"Nothing," Eric quickly responded.

"Don't lie to me Eric." Horatio said, "My brand new CSI just walked out of a lab fuming with anger. Something happened and I want to know what."

Eric was silent as he stared at the table. He didn't know what to say to Horatio. He felt ashamed at what he had said.

"Eric took it upon himself to express his beliefs on Greg and Nick's marriage to Nick." Calleigh suddenly said, "Nick got pissed so he left."

Horatio looked at Eric. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "Eric I understand that you don't agree with Nick's lifestyle but that doesn't give you the right to bash it."

"I'm sorry H," Eric began, "I just-"

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to." Horatio said as he interrupted him, "You need to apologize to Nick. Not right now though, let the poor guy calm down. The last thing I need is to send you to the hospital and fill out a report for Nick's behavior. Before you leave today I want you to apologize to Nick. And that's an order." Horatio turned and walked out of the lab.

Eric continued to stare at his feet. Calleigh walked over and rubbed his shoulders. "Just give him some time, he'll listen."

Eric shook his head. "Yeah, I just can't believe I said that."

"We all say stupid things sometimes," Calleigh said, "But as long as you acknowledge to Nick that you were stupid he'll forgive you."

Eric chuckled and smiled at her. "Yeah, I was pretty stupid."

"Only a lot," Calleigh said with a laugh.

* * *

><p>Greg sighed as Nick's lips ghosted across his neck. He twined his fingers into Nick's short hair and passionately kissed him. "Feeling better?" he quietly asked him.<p>

Nick looked into his caramel colored eyes and smiled weakly. "Yeah, thanks for the talk G."

"No problem," Greg said with a smile, "Anything for you, my _husband_."

Nick smiled and gently kissed Greg. "I love you Greg," he whispered in Greg's ear.

"I love you, too, Nicky," Greg breathlessly said.

They heard the door to the locker room open. Nick sighed and released Greg from his grasp. He walked over to his new locker and began rearranging things. He used a magnet to hang a picture of him, Greg, and Lucy on the inside of the door. He smiled to himself at the sight of his wayward family.

"Hey Nick?" Nick turned to see a very nervous Eric standing by him. Nick looked at the other man and felt his blood start to boil again. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, silently counting to ten in his head. "Yes Eric?" he said.

"I just wanted to apologize for earlier today." Eric said, "I was wrong for saying the things I did. Who you marry is none of my business. You're right, people should marry who they love, not who everyone else thinks they should. I'm sorry for the things I said."

Nick looked at Eric. He examined his face closely. Nick sighed, deciding Eric truly looked sincere with his words.

"Thank you Eric," Nick said, "It takes a big man to admit he was wrong, especially when it has to do with his values and beliefs. I appreciate the apology."

Eric fidgeted nervously and looked at Nick. "Thanks man," he quietly said, "I am really sorry about what I said. I was an ass."

Nick tried to give him a friendly smile. "You're welcome, but don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily."  
>"I guess I better watch my back then," Eric timidly said.<p>

"Well I'm not going to kick your ass, but be forewarned I will not take anything you say lightly."

Eric nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Understood sir," he quietly said.

* * *

><p>Ryan walked into his daughter's room. She rolled over in her bed and looked at him. "Daddy?"<p>

"Hey baby," Ryan said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Olivia sleepily asked as she sat up.

Ryan pulled out a swab and looked at it. "Can you open your mouth for me? I'm going to run this across the inside of your cheek."

"Why?" Olivia asked as she opened her mouth.

"It's for a special test." Ryan explained as he collected Olivia's DNA. "Don't worry about it."

"Ok," Olivia said as she laid back down. "I love you Daddy."

Ryan leaned in and kissed Olivia's forehead. "I love you, too, Ozzie."


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter doesn't actually start with a text or voice mail. It's actually a letter.**

'_Dear Matthew, _

_I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss you all the time. I wish you could see Miami, I think you would like it. It's always sunny and warm, I don't even have to wear a coat and it's November. I've been thinking about starting a Stokes Memorial Safe Place branch in Miami. The Las Vegas center has been doing really well and I think the business would flourish in Miami. Just let me know what you think. I love you little bro and I miss you everyday. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Love,  
>Your Big Brother'<em>

* * *

><p>Ryan jumped when his phone rang. He hadn't realized he fell asleep on his lab table. He picked up the phone and answered it without looking at the number.<p>

"Wolfe" he muttered.

"Hello Mr. Wolfe," a woman's voice said, "This is Miss Samantha from Little Hands Preschool. Your daughter Olivia is still here."

Ryan's head shot up and he stumbled out of his chair. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I'll be right there!"

Samantha chuckled lightly on the other end and said something to someone. "Well if you'd like there's a Nick Stokes here who said he would be willing to take your daughter home so you can keep working. Do you know a Nick Stokes?"

"Yes," Ryan sighed in relief, "Yes I do. Can you ask him to show you his badge and ID?"

"Absolutely," Samantha said. Ryan listened to the conversation on the other end and recognized Nick's good nature tone. "His ID and badge say he is Nick Stokes and he says he agrees with your 'you can never be too careful' parenting methods."

Ryan chuckled lightly and smiled into his phone. "Well tell him I said thanks- actually don't. Just tell him I'll be over to pick up Olivia as soon as I can and I'll tell him myself. But do tell him I said thank you for picking up my baby. And thank you Samantha."

Ryan hung up his phone and stared at the screen, still smiling.

"Crushing on the teacher?"

Ryan jumped at the sound of the male voice. He looked towards the door and saw Greg waiting for him.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked.

"You're crushing on Miss Amanda, from Little Hands." Greg said again, "That's who you were talking to, right?"

"Um, yes that's who I was talking to and no I'm not crushing on anyone because I'm married."

Greg shrugged his shoulders and walked into the lab. "Doesn't mean you can't look." He said as he held out a piece of paper.

Ryan looked at the paper and then at Greg. "What's this? I didn't order any DNA tests."

"You did," Greg said, "It was a while ago and it kind of got put to the bottom of my stack and then was sent to the bottom again."

"Greg I really don't remember giving you a sample."

"Well you did." Greg held up the paper and Ryan read "Olivia Wolfe" at the top. He grabbed the paper and quickly started reading the results. He sighed in relief when he saw Olivia's DNA matched his own.

"Congratulations," Greg said, "It's a girl."

Ryan smirked at him and looked the test results again. "You're sure this is right?"

"Yup, I ran it three times just to be sure."

Ryan smiled at Greg. "Thanks Greg, this means a lot."

"Not a problem," Greg said with a smile. "Does this mean you'll give me a ride home?"

Ryan chuckled and shook his head. "Let me guess you told Nick you asked me earlier today and I said yes."

"Yes, that's exactly right."

"Well you're lucky my daughter is at your house otherwise I would say no."

"Why's Olivia at our house?" Greg asked confused.

"Because I forgot to pick up Olivia at preschool so Nick took her home with him."

"Where's Khandice?" Greg inquired.

"Italy," Ryan said with a sigh, "She left Tuesday with her agent…the man I still haven't met."

"Ryan why are you still married to her?" Greg bluntly asked.

Ryan's neck cracked as he turned her head towards Greg. "Excuse me?"

"Ryan I've known you for a couple of weeks now and whenever I hear you talk about this wife of yours you always have this bitter sound in your voice. I don't think you love her. I think you need to leave her, I honestly do."

Ryan sighed and looked at the DNA print out. "But this proves that she was faithful."

"Yeah, four years and nine months ago," Greg said. "She disappears for weeks on end and you don't really know where she goes or who she's with. Think about it Ryan."

Ryan looked at him agitated. "Fine, I'll think about it, but I already know what's going on. My wife is faithful."

Greg sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever man, just find me when you're ready to go."

* * *

><p>Ryan pulled into the driveway of Greg's house behind the black SUV. "You guys only have one car?" he casually asked.<p>

"Yeah, for now," Greg said. "We're trying to find another car since we don't always leave the lab at the same time. But money's a little tight right now with the move and having to buy new furniture and what not, so we decided to wait on the car."

They walked into the small house. A delicious smell and the laughter of children filled the air. It felt homey and comfortable. Ryan liked it.

Ryan followed Greg into the kitchen where Nick was standing at the stove. He looked over his shoulder when Greg and Ryan walked in and smiled. "Hey babe," Nick said as Greg stood by his side. He leaned over and kissed Greg tenderly. Greg smiled and kissed him back. "Hello handsome," he said.

Nick looked at Ryan and gave him an uneasy look. "Sorry Ryan, didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Ryan looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"Greg's ears turn red when he's embarrassed, too." Nick noted.

Ryan's hand flew to his ear. He could feel how hot it was. He hadn't realized they were that red. "It's nothing," Ryan coolly said, "It really doesn't bother me."

"You sure?" Nick asked, "Because we can cool it if you want."

"No really, it doesn't bother me."

"Alright," Nick drawled out. He leaned over and kissed Greg passionately, slipping his tongue into Greg's mouth. Greg tried to pull away but Nick threaded his fingers into his hair.

"Damn it Nick," Greg muttered when they broke apart, "Ryan said it didn't bother him, not that we should make a porno for him."

Nick chuckled and kissed Greg on the cheek. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"Um, well if you don't mind I'm going to collect my daughter and go home." Ryan said, "Thanks for picking her up Nick."

"Now wait a minute," Nick said, "You can't leave yet, we haven't had dinner."

Ryan looked at him confused. "What?"

"Well you're staying for dinner," Nick said, "And it won't be ready for at least another thirty minutes. So you and Greg go play and I'll call you guys when the food's ready."

"No, I can't do that." Ryan argued, "You've done enough Nick. Olivia and I are just going to leave now."

"Nope, you're staying." Nick declared, "I didn't bust out the Stokes family Texas brisket recipe for nothing."

"Hey wait a second," Greg said, "Are you saying I'm nothing."

"No you're not babe," Nick said with a smile, "But I've made way too much for just you and me."

"We do have a daughter you know." Greg said with a playful expression on his face.

"We have a daughter?" Nick playfully asked. He smiled and looked back at the stove. "I didn't forget, and if you can get Ryan to stay for dinner we can try for another one later tonight."

"Wait we can't make a baby…" Greg's voice trailed off as realization came over him. "Never mind, let's go Ryan."

Greg dragged Ryan into the living room and started up his Xbox. "Let's play some Halo while we wait." He handed Ryan a controller and plopped down next to him on the couch.

Ryan looked at Greg and smiled. "You know Greg you're pretty cool."  
>"Thanks," Greg said, "I like to think so, too."<p>

Ryan chuckled and shook his head as he chose his warrior. "So modest."


	7. Chapter 7

**A forewarning, there is a mild yet suggestive theme briefly in this chapter. I decided not to change the rating though, because I didn't think it was that explicit, since I don't even really get into anything.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey Mary Ellen, it's Ryan. I really need to talk to you right now. I'm lost and confused and I don't know what to do. I can't call Mom because I don't think she would understand and I really need some advice about what I should do. I need you sis. Please, call me."<em>

* * *

><p>Eric walked into the DNA lab. "Hey Greg, are my tests done?"<p>

Ryan looked up at him. "I don't know."

Eric looked at him confused. "Shit, how did I do that?"

"I don't know and you're the fifth person to do so today." Ryan said, "Natalia, Calleigh, Tom, Travers, and even my own little brother Wally. It's getting kind of weird. I mean I've been here for almost seven years and everyone keeps thinking I'm the new guy who's only been here for three months. You'd think people would know who I am by now."

Eric chuckled at his friend's humor. "Maybe you guys are brothers."

"Yup, long lost brothers, separated at birth," Ryan said. "Sounds like a Lifetime movie."

"Hey you guys are a few years apart and you probably have different mothers. You were born in New Orleans and Greg in Sacramento. I mean it's entirely possible."

Ryan looked at him and shook his head. "It's also possible that we're not brothers."

"Come on Wolfe, haven't you always wondered who your birth parents were?"

"Yes I have, but then I decided it doesn't matter. I have a family who loves me. That's what matters."

Eric looked at him and sighed. "Alright man, if you see Greg tell him I'm looking for him." He turned and walked towards the door. He stopped and looked at Ryan. "You tested Olivia's DNA, why not yours?"

Ryan looked at him irritated. "Good-bye Eric," he said.

* * *

><p>Greg walked into the crime lab, arms loaded with evidence boxes that needed to be processed.<p>

"Thanks for letting me go out in the field, Horatio," Greg said. "It was really nice getting out."

Horatio smiled at Greg. "Well you looked caged in so I figured you'd like a chance to use your skills you've been honing for so long."

"Yeah, I really miss being out in the field. Not that I don't like working in the lab." Greg quickly added, "I just love field work so much."

Horatio chuckled at the young man's internal struggle. "Not a problem Greg."

Greg walked into his DNA lab and found Ryan attempting to collect a DNA sample off a shirt.

"Hey Ryan," Greg said, "How's it going?"

"Not so good." Ryan said, "I've got the tiniest drop of blood here that I need tested and I'm afraid it's not going to be enough."

"Don't worry about it." Greg said, "I can multiple it."

"Really?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, it's simple enough."

"Oh good Ryan," Tom said walking into the lab, "I need you down in the morgue."

Greg turned and looked at him. "Um, close?"

Tom sighed and shook his head. "Damn it, that's the second time today. I thought Ryan was you earlier this afternoon. You two need to wear nametags on your backs or something."

Greg laughed and looked over at Ryan. "Maybe we should. I even had the guy at the coffee shop call me Officer Wolfe last week."

Ryan chuckled as he dropped the tiny piece of material into a test tube. "There you go Officer Wolfe," he jokingly said, "Now I'm off with Dr. Tom."

"Alright Mr. Sanders," Greg chuckled as he accepted the test tube, "I'll work my magic while you play with the cadaver."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Don't start doing that, I'll never know who's who anymore."

* * *

><p>Ryan walked back into the DNA lab. Greg was hard at work running tests. He smiled at Ryan when he walked in.<p>

"So how many other people have mistaken you for me today?" Greg asked.

"Seven total now," Ryan said, "Including a witness from your case earlier _and_ Horatio Caine himself."

Greg laughed loudly. "You know it's bad when even the boss is doing it."

Ryan looked at Greg for a moment. "Greg, do you ever wonder, you know, if maybe we really are…"

"Brothers?" Greg finished.

Ryan nodded his head. "Yeah, brothers."

Greg snapped off his gloves and began straightening his lab table. "Ryan, I've been doing DNA work for fifteen years and I've studied biology since junior high. I know it's possible for two people to have similar genetic make up that aren't related in any way at all." Greg stopped and stared at Ryan. "But the similarities between us are so reoccurring that I can't help but wonder. I mean we both have brown hair, hazel eyes, the same jaw line and chin, sporadic freckles all over our faces, and we don't know our biological fathers. Everyone mistakes us for the other, even people we don't know, we have similar personality quirks yet we're opposites, and our ears do that weird turn red thing when we're embarrassed or uncomfortable. Not to mention I swear to god you can read my mind sometimes and our thoughts just seem to line up."

Ryan watched as Greg stacked papers and places test tubes and evidence envelopes in different piles. "You alphabetize everything," he observed.

Greg looked at him and then back at the table. "Yeah, I kind of get OCD when I'm stressed."

Ryan sighed and rubbed his temples. He leaned against the table and rested his chin in his hand. "What do we do?" he quietly asked.

Greg looked at him. Ryan's eyes locked with his, the caramel and green staring into each other. Greg reached over and grabbed a few cotton swabs with a shaking hand. "Do you want to run a test?" he asked almost inaudibly.

Ryan stared at the cotton swabs in Greg's hand for a long moment. "No, not today," he finally said. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to know that answer."

Greg nodded his head and tossed the cotton swabs into the trash. "I touched them with my bare hands, they're compromised now." He quietly muttered, "And I don't think I'm ready to know either. Let's think about it for a while and then decide."

* * *

><p>Greg sat on the edge of his bed. Nick's hands roamed across his bare chest and he kissed along the back of his neck. Nick trailed his nose up Greg's neck and into his hair. He kissed the side of Greg's head and nuzzled his face into his hair. "What are you thinking about?" he whispered.<p>

Greg sighed, knowing he couldn't keep this from his lover. "Ryan and I talked today."

"What about?" Nick inquired, resuming his trail of kisses.

"Seven people mistaken him for me today and four people thought I was Ryan." Greg quietly explained, "It's been happening more frequently and it got us thinking."

"About what?"

"What if we really are brothers like everyone keeps saying?" Greg said, "What if we're each other's family?"

Nick leaned in and kissed the side of Greg's head again. "I don't know," he quietly said, "What would you do if you were?"

"I don't know," Greg said, his voice shaking slightly.

"What are you going to do about it?" Nick asked as his hands ran over Greg's abs.

"We're thinking about a DNA test."

"Ok, why not?" Nick prompted.

"Because we're scared," Greg whispered. "We're afraid of the truth. Ryan didn't say it but I know that's what he was thinking."

"Do you want Ryan to be your brother?" Nick asked as he fiddled with Greg's belt.

"I don't know. I really don't know about anything anymore."

"Do you want my opinion?"

Greg smiled and leaned into his husband. "Yeah, I think I really need it."

"I think you should get the test done." Nick said, "I think you need some kind of closure on this. It's going to bother you until you do something about it. Do the test and find out. If it's negative then we go back to the way things were."

"And if it's positive?" Greg quietly asked.

"Then we cross that bridge when we get there." Nick gently said, "We don't know what the future holds. Instead of fretting over it let's just deal with it head on."

Greg smiled and turned to kiss Nick. "Thanks Nicky, I needed that."

Nick smirked and pulled Greg into a searing kiss. He laid back down on the bed and pulled Greg on top of him. Greg gasped quietly as their hard ons met through the denim of their jeans.

"You're welcome," Nick said when they finally broke apart. "Now I need something, too."

Greg smiled against his lips. "And what would that be?"

"You, inside me," Nick said. "That is if you're up for it."

Greg chuckled and bit Nick's neck. "Of course I am. I want to make love to you all night Nicky."

"Well too bad, you can't. We have to be at work really early."

Greg playfully groaned as he opened Nick's pants and began stroking him. "Alright, I guess I can settle for one time."

* * *

><p>"You'll never know unless you do it." Mary Ellen said over the phone.<p>

Ryan paced the room and rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears. "But I don't know if I want to know Mary. I mean what if this guy turns out to be my biological brother?"

"Then you have a big brother, bid deal. Marcus don't you dare climb on that table!"

"But Mary Ellen, what will Mom and Dad say?"

"I don't know for sure but I can guess they'll be happy for you. William you leave your sister's hair alone! Put those scissors back in my desk! Sorry, Henry's out of town on business right now so I'm manning the house with the triplets by myself tonight."

Ryan chuckled lightly. "It's ok sis, I don't know how you manage three toddlers at once. Olivia was a handful all on her own at that age."

"Yeah but your wife wasn't doing jack shit for you. William I told you to put those scissors away! In fact from what I can tell she still does."

"Mary Ellen please don't start in on this, too." Ryan groaned, "I get enough of this from Greg at work."

"Well maybe it's true. Weren't you just speculating that Olivia might not be your daughter yourself just a month ago?"

"Yes, but that's different."

"Whatever Ryan, you want my opinion? Do that test, find out if this guy is your brother. I know you Ryan, you'll fret over this for years before you finally take the test."

"But Mary-"

"No, no buts. You do that test and figure it out from there." Her tone softened and Ryan could almost see her warm brown eyes. "Ryan you'll still be my brother even if this guy turns out to share some of your DNA. Family isn't just about blood, you understand that better than anyone I know. We'll still love you no matter what."

Ryan smiled into the phone and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Thanks Mary Ellen."

"Anything for my big brother."


	8. Chapter 8

'_Holy shit Nicky! Holy shit! –G'_

* * *

><p>Greg looked at Ryan when he walked into the DNA lab. There were dark circles under his eyes and they seemed puffy, like he had been crying.<p>

"Let's do this," Ryan said.

Greg looked at him apprehensively. "Are you sure?"

"It's now or never."

Greg handed him a swab and Ryan ran it on the inside of his cheek. Greg prepped the swab and placed it in a test tube. He repeated the process with a cotton swab of his own. He placed the samples in the processor and pressed a few buttons. The machine whirled to life. Greg stood there staring at it.

"Now what?" Ryan asked, knowing the answer already.

"Now we wait," Greg said. "I think I'll go find Natalia, I really don't want to analysis the results myself. I'm not entirely sure why though."

"Its fine," Ryan said, "I don't think I'd want to do it either."

* * *

><p>An hour later Natalia stared at the computer screen as the test finished its cycle. "So you guys finally caved."<p>

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that." Greg said.

"What do you call it?" Natalia inquired.

"Curiosity, inquisitiveness, interest, chance, I could go on if you want," Greg rambled.

"No, that's ok," Natalia chuckled.

She typed on the computer and clicked her mouse a few times. The computer beeped and Natalia began printing the results. She picked up the results and read over them. Neither Greg nor Ryan could read the expression on her face. She numbly handed the results to Greg who held it up so he and Ryan could both read it.

"We share fifty percent of our DNA, paternal match." Greg read.

"My god, we are brothers." Ryan said.

Horatio walked into the DNA lab. He looked around the room at the shocked expressions of the three CSIs.

"What's going on?" he inquired, "You all looked like you've seen a ghost."

"Um, I just finished a DNA test for Ryan and Greg." Natalia said.

Horatio looked at her confused. "But they aren't working a case together."

"No, it was for personal reasons." Natalia said.

"We're brothers," Ryan said, "Greg and I have the same father."

The computer beeping interrupted their conversation. Natalia typed and stared at the screen. "Oh my god," she said, "CODIS just threw out a paternal match. Your father is in the system."

Greg and Ryan stared at her. "You mean we could know who our father is?" Ryan asked.

"Even if he turns out to be a convict?" Greg said.

"Well actually it's for the Miami Dade Police Department." Natalia said, "Your father is an MDPD employee." Her mouse clicked a few more times and a look of shock washed over her face. "Oh my god."

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

Natalia stared at them speechless. She turned the screen of the computer so it faced them. Staring at them from the screen was Horatio's picture.


	9. Chapter 9

"_Hey Khandi, it's Ryan, you know your husband. I haven't heard from you in a few weeks and I was getting a little worried about you. Just thought I would give you a call. So…call me back. I've got some big news I want to tell you. I love you Hun."_

* * *

><p>Nick rushed into the break room. Greg and Ryan were sitting on the couch together, each bent over with their head between their legs inhaling deeply. Nick knelt in front of his husband. He placed one hand on Greg's knee and the other on the side of his head. Greg and Ryan lifted their heads at the same time and stared at him.<p>

"Do I even have to ask?" Nick said.

Greg looked at him and trailed his fingers down the side of Nick's face. "We're brothers, we have the same father."

A smile played across Nick's face and he gently kissed Greg's cheek. "Well I would say congratulations but something's freaking you out about this."

"There was a paternal match in CODIS," Ryan said. "Our father is in the system."

"He's a convict?" Nick inquired, "He's not a sex offender is he?"

"No, he's in the system because he's a Miami Dade employee," Greg said.

"He works for MDPD?" Nick asked, trying to follow the fast paced story.

"Yes, for many years now," Ryan said.

Nick looked back and forth between the two men. "Well who is it?"

Greg and Ryan stared at him with the same grim expression. "Horatio Caine," they said at the same time.

Nick's jaw dropped and he stared at them. "Horatio Caine, as in our Lieutenant Horatio Caine, is your father?" Greg nodded his head in Nick's hand. Ryan suddenly dropped his head back between his knees and began inhaling deeply again, trying to calm his nerves. "Oh my god," Nick muttered, "What did he say?"

"Nothing, he just left the lab," Greg said, "No one knows where he went."

Nick sat on the couch and pulled Greg into his arms. He kissed the top of his head and held him close, not caring who saw or that they were still technically on the clock. "Everything's going to alright G. We'll get through this."

Ryan suddenly stood from the couch and stormed out of the room. Nick and Greg watched him leave and Nick felt pity for the other man.

"He's upset because he doesn't have anyone to turn to." Greg whispered, "Khandi's still in Europe."

Nick scoffed. "Like she could even understand genetics; she probably still doesn't understand why the rest of Ryan's family is brown."

Greg chuckled lightly and nuzzled against Nick. "We should ask him to have dinner with us tonight." He said, "I think he needs someone right now. He is my brother after all."

"Well G, if he is your brother then he probably has the same issues as you." Nick said, "I'm going to guess he needs someone and feels alone right now. He's also quite opposite of you. He might want to be alone right now."

Greg sighed and looked at Nick. "Ok, but I'm calling him later. I don't want to find out anything happened to him."

* * *

><p>Ryan drove numbly through the streets in his Jetta. He hated his car. It was a powder blue tiny little Jetta. Khandice had picked it out for him. Ryan hated it so much. He loved driving the Hummers at work because he felt superior driving around in the giant SUV. Ryan decided he wanted to buy a new one before he left Khandice.<p>

Ryan shook his head and pushed the thought from his head. No, he wasn't leaving his wife. He loved Khandice and she loved him. It was just Greg getting to him.

Ryan pulled into the preschool parking lot. He cut the engine and sat in his car for a moment, just thinking. He hardly got to spend anytime with Olivia because he was always working. He felt like he was always handing her off to someone else; to the nanny, the daycare worker, the preschool teacher. Ryan contemplated quitting his job a few years back in order to spend more time with his daughter as a stay at home dad. But Khandice had pushed him to stay at work. "You've worked too hard to just give it all away now." She had said, "Don't worry about our daughter, she'll be fine."

Ryan sighed and climbed out of his car. He walked into the school and located his daughter's classroom quickly. He walked in and smiled at the sight of his daughter playing with another child. He looked towards the teacher and felt his blood run cold.

Greg and Nick were standing there talking to Samantha. Ryan suddenly felt awkward and had the strange desire to bolt.

"Daddy!" Olivia exclaimed as she came running over to him. Nick and Greg looked over at Ryan but quickly turned back to Samantha, trying to resume their conversation.

Ryan knelt down and pulled his daughter into his arms. He kissed her cheek and nuzzled his nose into her hair. "Hey baby," he whispered, "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yes!" Olivia excitedly exclaimed, "We learned colors today! And guess what? I was the only one who was able to name the secondary colors!"

"Wow, you're really smart!" Ryan proudly praised, "Where did you get that brain from?"

"My Daddy!" Olivia giggled. Ryan smiled and kissed her forehead.

Ryan lifted her into his arms. He turned to see Nick and Greg had left. He walked back towards the teacher. Samantha smiled shyly at him and Ryan could feel the tops of his ears start to turn red. He hoped his lack of recent haircut disguised the fact.

"Mr. Wolfe, right on time again I see," she said.

"Yeah after last month I set an alarm on my phone to remind to come pick Olivia up." Ryan said a little embarrassed, "My boss okayed me leaving every day at three as long as I'm back by four to resume my shift." Ryan felt his chest tighten and his eyes begin to burn at the thought of Horatio, his supposed birth father. "Um, I think I'll go now," he muttered.

"Daddy don't cry," Olivia said, wiping away a tear that managed to escape his eye. "You should talk to Miss Samantha, that always makes me feel better."

Ryan smiled at his daughter and kissed her forehead again. "Thanks baby," he quietly said.

"Mr. Wolfe, is everything ok at home?" Samantha asked.

Ryan looked at her. He could just imagine what he looked like; dark circles still under his eyes, eyes blood shot and watery, his face probably pale. Yup, he looked like shit.

"Everything's fine," Ryan lied. He looked back at his daughter and smiled. "How about we go out for dinner tonight Ozzie?"

Olivia smiled excitedly at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yeah!"

Ryan smiled and held his daughter closer. "Ok, you get to pick." He looked back at Samantha. "Thank you Samantha, we'll see you Monday."

* * *

><p>Ryan sat at a table in the fast food restaurant, drinking a cup of coffee and watching his daughter in the play zone. He smiled when Olivia approached another little boy and asked him to play. She had been so shy just three months earlier. Preschool was clearly helping her socially.<p>

Ryan nearly dropped his coffee when Samantha sat down at the table across from him in the booth. He stared blankly at her, lost for words. She smiled at him, her green eyes shining beautifully.

"Miss Samantha," Ryan finally managed, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I remember Olivia telling me this was her favorite place to eat because she liked the play zone and she got to spend some one-on-one time with her father, since her mother never eats here. So I thought I would see if this was where she picked."

Ryan smiled at her and took a drink of his coffee. "What's your real motive?"

Samantha smiled brightly at him. "What I can't just stop in and eat?"

"I'm a criminalist and a crime scene investigator, I can see a lie from a mile away, even a white lie."

Samantha chuckled lightly and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. "Alright, I'll be honest with you. I was a little worried about you and Olivia. She was a little upset the other day and she said it was because she missed her Daddy. When I asked her about her mother though she said she doesn't like her. She says she's always gone and when she is home she's always bringing strange men home."

Ryan nearly spit out his coffee. "I'm sorry, strange men?"

"Oh I'm sorry," Samantha exclaimed, "I didn't mean like that! Olivia says they take pictures of her wearing fancy clothes, not anything like _that_."

Ryan sighed and tried to smile. "It's ok, I just got a little freaked out, that's all. It's the OCD sometimes."

Samantha smiled at him. "Mr. Wolfe, what is Mrs. Wolfe like?"

Ryan scoffed and caught himself rolling his eyes. He quickly straightened up and hoped Samantha didn't catch it, though he doubted she wouldn't. "She's…different." Ryan said, "She's very focused on her career and doesn't seem to really care about Olivia."

"There's something else, isn't there?" Samantha quietly asked.

Ryan sighed and felt his grip on his cup tighten. "Yeah, there is," he whispered. "Khandice wanted an abortion when she learned she was pregnant. She didn't want to loose her model body because of a baby. I had to beg her not to do it. I even went to every women's clinic I knew of and ordered that if she came in for an abortion that I was to be notified. I also set it up so if she tried I had to be there to give consent, too. She finally gave in though and agreed to carry the baby if I allowed for her to use our savings for plastic surgery after Olivia was born. That money was supposed to go towards house payments and living expenses. Khandice promised me though that she would make the money back double and even start a college fund for Olivia if I let her use the money."

Samantha smiled and reached across the table. She held his hand and gently squeezed it. "Well I'm glad you won that battle."

Ryan felt his ears turn red and he looked at her with a shy expression. He looked at the gold wedding band on his hand that Samantha held and slowly pulled away.

"Um, well," Samantha stuttered, "Is there anything else that's going on in your life you'd like to talk about? You seem like something's bothering you Mr. Wolfe."

"Please Samantha call me Ryan." He said, "And everything's fine."

"Ryan, do you know what the first thing they teach you in your very first teaching course is in college?" Samantha asked with a sly smile.

"No, what would that be?" Ryan replied with a smile of his own.

"That children will lie to you and even though they think you won't be able to tell you'll be able to catch them in any lie, even a white lie."

Ryan chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Sounds like the police academy."

"Now tell me what's bothering you." Samantha prompted.

Ryan sighed and leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "I don't know if Olivia's ever told you but I'm adopted. I've never known my biological parents and the only family I ever knew I had was my adopted family."

"No, I don't think anyone's ever mentioned it to me." Samantha commented.

"Well three months ago we received two new transfers at the MDPD Crime Lab." Ryan took a deep breath and slowly released it. "One of the transfers looks just like me."

"Greg Sanders," Samantha quietly said.

Ryan chuckled. "Yeah, that's him. How did you know?"

"Well I may have called him Mr. Wolfe the other day by accident," Samantha said, a little embarrassed.

"Well don't worry, you're not the only one. Everyone kept making jokes that we were long lost brothers or something. We talked about it the other day and concluded that it was possible, since Greg doesn't know his biological father either. So we tested our DNA and it turns out we have the same father."

"No chance it's a mistake or a freak thing?" Samantha asked.

"No, the chances two people have identical DNA is one in a hundred million." Ryan explained, "So we're brothers. The computer also kicked out a paternal match. Turns out our boss, Lieutenant Caine, is our biological father."

"Lieutenant Caine?" Samantha said, "As in Horatio Caine?"

"Yeah, you know him?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, he was the lead detective for my husband's murder eight years ago."

Ryan looked at her shocked. "Oh god, I'm so sorry."

Samantha looked at him and tried to give him a hopeful smile. "It was a bank robbery, Robert was just an innocent bystander." She explained, "I used to cry myself to sleep every night and I wore my wedding ring for five years after he died. But one day I realized I couldn't live in the past anymore. I changed my name back to my maiden name and stopped wearing my ring. I felt much better after that. Anyways, please continue with your story."

"Um, well," Ryan stuttered, trying to recoup his thought, "I think that's about it. Essentially it turns out I've had a brother I never knew about for my entire life and I've been working for my father, who I didn't even know existed, for seven years now. Oh, and my wife seems to be missing because I haven't seen her in about six weeks because she's been in Europe and everyone keeps telling me I need to divorce her. But I love Khandi and I know she loves me too."

"Enough to try and abort your child?" Samantha practically whispered. Ryan just stared at her silently, not really sure what he was feeling.

"Daddy!" Olivia exclaimed as she came running up to the table. She looked at her father and then at the woman sitting across from him. "Miss Samantha! What are you doing here?"

"Well teachers have to eat too Olivia." Samantha smiled at Olivia. Ryan could see her taking in Olivia's presence in a whole new way. She reached over and tousled Olivia's hair gently. She turned back to Ryan and smiled. "Well it was good talking to you Ryan. If you ever need to talk just give me a call." She reached in her pocket and placed an index card with her name and number written on it on the table. She looked back at Olivia and smiled. "And I'll see you trouble on Monday."

Ryan watched her walk away and sighed. He felt his heart start to thud and looked at the card. He knew she must have written her number down at an earlier time, intending to give it to him at some point. He quickly pushed thoughts of Samantha away, remembering that he was married.

Ryan smiled at Olivia as she climbed onto the seat of the booth next to him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his body. "How about a milkshake and we go home Ozzie?"

Olivia smiled and nuzzled against her father. "Yes please!" Ryan chuckled at his daughter's excitement and hugged her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Once again there are some suggestive themes in this chapter, but nothing bad enough I would change the rating to M. However, if anyone thinks I should change it just shoot me a massage and I'll think it over again.**

"_Greg it's your mother. I need to talk to you. Grandpa Maher died today and there's something really important I need to tell you. Please give me a call as soon as you get this. I love you peanut."_

* * *

><p>Greg listened to the other end of his phone ring, waiting for his mother to answer. She had called him in the middle of the night, which would have only been like eight o'clock at night in California, and left him a voicemail.<p>

Greg hadn't cried at the news of his grandfather's death. In fact he really didn't seem to care. He had never really cared for his Grandpa Maher. Grandpa Maher, his mother's father, always seemed to have a distaste for Greg when he was growing up. He would give Greg dirty looks and talk down to him. He refused to acknowledge Greg's presence when he entered the room and would sometimes make up an excuse to leave the room. Greg wondered if somehow his grandfather had known about his curiosity and uncertainty about his sexuality when he was growing up, but that didn't seem like a reasonable idea.

Greg sighed and dialed his mother's number. The phone rang a few times before his mother answered.

"Peanut, how are you?" his mother's voice sounded.

"I'm good Mom." Greg answered, "How have you been?"

"I've been better, a little stressed and shaken but I'll be ok."

"Mom, what did you want to tell me?" Greg asked, getting straight to the point.

"Greg, this is really hard to say and I would prefer to tell you in person but I know that's really not possible right now." His mother said. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Greg when I got pregnant with you I promised your grandfather that I would never tell you who your father is. I told him I would keep it secret to his deathbed. Well I think that because that's come and gone you deserve to know the truth."

"Mom," Greg said, cutting in, "I already know."

Rochelle Sanders sat there silently on the phone. "You know who your birth father is?"

"Yes," Greg answered.

"How did you know?"

"Mom I met someone." Greg began, "I met a man who looks just like me. We work together now and we started noticing similarities between us, both physically and personality. So we did what I've been doing for years and tested our DNA against each others. Turns out we have the same father, Horatio Caine."

Greg's mother didn't speak right away. Greg sat there listening to Rochelle breathing. "Have you met him?" she quietly asked.

"Mom, I work for him."

"Horatio's your boss?"

"Yes, he's the Lieutenant at the Miami Dade Crime Lab." Greg said, "Mom, how did you meet him?"

"Peanut I think you need to talk to Horatio about it." Rochelle said, "It's something you need to hear first hand."

Greg sighed and hung his head. "Alright Mom, I'll try calling him again."

"Have you talked to him since the test?"

"No, we haven't seen him in a week. We're starting to get worried about him. Not just because he's our father but because he's our boss and part of our team."

"Greg, what's your brother's name?"

"Ryan Wolfe; he didn't know either of his birth parents. He was abandoned on a doorstep and adopted by the woman that found him." Greg chuckled, "It's kind of funny because his entire family is really, really tall and broad framed and black and he's kind of a little white guy."

Rochelle chuckled lightly on the other end of the phone. "That does sound rather interesting." She sighed and Greg listened to her breath. "Greg I'm sorry I kept this from you. I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn't go against your grandfather's wishes."

"It's ok Mom, I understand." Greg said in a comforting tone, "I know Grandpa Maher wasn't the easiest man to live with."

"Do you still love me peanut?"

Greg smiled into the phone. "Of course I still love you Momma. Nothing could make me hate you."

"Thanks peanut, I needed to hear that. Will you be coming home for Grandpa Maher's funeral?"

"You know even though I'm pretty sure that man hated me I think I can fly out to pay my respects."

"That's good," Rochelle replied, "And bring that handsome husband of yours and that adorable little girl, Lucy, right?"

"You sure that's a good idea Mom?" Greg asked, knowing how his mother's side of the family felt about same sex couples.

"Yes, those high class snot heads need a taste of reality." Rochelle said, making Greg laugh. "Besides what are they going to do? Make you leave your grandfather's funeral?"

Greg chuckled and smiled. "Thanks Mom, for loving me for who I am."

"Well that's what a parent is supposed to do- love their child no matter what they are."

* * *

><p>Ryan pulled up in front of Horatio's beach house with Greg in his Jetta. He cut the engine and they sat there staring at the house.<br>"What are you thinking?" Greg asked him.  
>"I still hate this car," Ryan replied.<br>Greg laughed and shook his head. "About to confront your biological father and all you can think about is your damn car."  
>"Well it's the only thing that's keeping my mind off what I'm about to do."<br>Greg looked at him and gave him a weak half smile. "Shall we?"  
>"It's now or never." Ryan replied.<p>

Horatio's face was a mixture of shock and shame when he saw Greg and Ryan standing on his doorstep. He nodded at them and stepped aside so they could enter. They followed him into the house and into the spacious living room. They sat together on a couch while Horatio choose an armchair across from them.

The room was silent for several minutes as all three tried to think of where to begin.  
>"Alright," Horatio finally said, "What do you need to know?"<p>

Greg looked at him. "My mother called me today." He said, "She told me my grandfather's dead and she decided to finally break the promise she made to him and told me who my birth father is."

Horatio somehow didn't seem surprised. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her I knew already." Greg said, "I explained the test to her and our suspicion."

Horatio sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I knew your mother Greg," he said, "I met Rochelle Maher one summer while she was visiting from California."

* * *

><p>The young woman was beautiful as she tied up her motorboat. She smiled at the older man she was walking with. He was much older than her; her father or possibly her grandfather. Horatio watched her from where he sat in the willow tree on the beach. It was a small private beach, members only from the lakeside neighborhood. The girl must have been visiting from somewhere else, just like he was.<p>

Horatio crawled across the large tree branch, trying to get a better look at her. She was beautiful with brown hair and a long slender body. Her skin was a golden tan color, contrasting beautifully against the blue bikini and green sarong she wore. He crept to the end of the branch. It was broken at the end; the tree had been struck by lighting during a thunderstorm a few days earlier.

Horatio laid on his stomach with his legs curled up against each side of the branch. She walked along the beach with the man, laughing and talking. She was so close to the tree Horatio could see the caramel color of her eyes. He leaned to the side as he watched her walk by, trying to get a second look at her.

The ground hit him hard and the sand did little justice to break his fall. He laid there on his side, trying to regain his breath after having the wind knocked out of him from the fall. He didn't dare move. He hoped she hadn't seen him fall.

"Are you ok?" Horatio opened his eyes and looked up. The young woman knelt over him, looking down at him.

Horatio tried to take another breath but his lungs didn't seem to work. "Roll onto your back." she said, pushing on his shoulders. "And hold your arms above your head, it will open your airway."

Horatio laid there on his back with his arms raised. The feel of oxygen rushing back into his lungs was a relief. After a few good breaths he looked at her again. "Thank you," he managed to choke out.

She smiled at him and brushed sand from his forehead. "I'm Rochelle," she said.

"Um, Horatio," he managed to remember.

"Horatio? That's an interesting name."

"Uh, thank you," Horatio said, still slightly lost for words.

"Why were you in the tree Horatio?"

"I like to climb trees," Horatio said, "More specifically that tree."

"Why that tree?" Rochelle inquired, sitting down in the sand next to him.

"I've been climbing it since I was a kid."

"Really? Do you live here?"

"My grandparents do," Horatio explained, "I visit them every summer. I live in Miami with my parents usually."

"Is Miami far from here?" Rochelle inquired.

"No, only like twenty miles," Horatio answered.

Rochelle smiled at him. "So do you always hang out in the tree Tarzan?"

Horatio finally smiled at her. "Only when I want to be alone."

"Is that often?"

"Not really, I just like my alone time, that's all."

"Do you fall from it often?"

"Only when something beautiful gets my attention."

Rochelle blushed and leaned forward towards him. "Are you just going to lie in the sand all day or are you going to try and kiss me?"

Horatio smiled and began to sit up. "Well I thought it would be rude if I just tried to kiss you."

"Well now you have my permission," Rochelle said with a smirk.

"Good, because that would be rude if I didn't," Horatio said as his lips tentatively met Rochelle's.

_III_

The sunset was beautiful. Horatio and Rochelle watched from the willow tree together. They were lying across several branches that had grown close together, creating a solid platform. They had a blanket spread across the branches and they laid on their stomachs with Horatio's arm around Rochelle's shoulders.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and kissed his neck. "This has been the most amazing summer I've ever had." Rochelle said, "I wish it didn't have to end."

"I know, me too," Horatio said. "Do you really have to go back to your parents? Can't you just live with your grandparents?"

Rochelle sighed and leaned against him. "I wish I could but my father would never allow it. He's kind of a control freak. He even picked the college that I have to go to so I would be the third generation to graduate from there."

Horatio leaned his head against hers and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, I would never do that to you."

"Horatio, would you wait for me?" Rochelle quietly asked.

"Wait for what?" Horatio asked confused.

"Would you wait for me to finish college and come back to you?"

Horatio was silent for a long moment, not really sure what to say. "I couldn't make that promise Rochelle. I only have a year left of college and then I'm going to the police academy. I don't think I could wait around for someone that long. You're seventeen and just starting college, I'm twenty, I have a plan for my life, and I know where I'm going. I'm sorry to say but you're not in that plan."

Rochelle looked at him with her caramel eyes. Horatio could see the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry Rochelle," Horatio whispered, "I know it sounds selfish but I'm not planning on starting a family right now."

"It's ok Horatio," Rochelle said, "I understand. I don't even know where I'll be in four years. I shouldn't put that on you. I mean I might not be able to come back. I'm sorry I suggested that."

Horatio leaned over and gently kissed her. "It's ok, I'm sorry, too. I'm not sorry about meeting you though. This has been the best six weeks of my life."

"Horatio," Rochelle quietly said, "Would you be willing to do something for me?"

"Well it depends, what do you want?" Horatio asked.

"Will you…will you make love to me?"

Horatio looked deep into her eyes. "Are you sure? I thought you were waiting until marriage?"

"Yes, I'm sure, and no, my father wants me to wait until marriage. I want someone I love, and I think I might be in love with you. Maybe not full blown true love, but I love you on some level."

Horatio looked at her and ran his hand through her hair. He gently kissed her and felt chills run down his spine as their noses grazed together. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes, I want my first time to be with someone I care about, and you are the most incredible person I've ever met Horatio Caine." She quietly said, "Please, let's make love."

Horatio leaned over and kissed her. Rochelle rolled onto her back and Horatio settled between her legs. "Alright," he whispered, "Let's make love. If you want to stop just tell me."

"I swear Horatio," Rochelle quietly said, "I'll tell you because I trust you."

Horatio kissed her passionately as he carefully unzipped her jeans.

* * *

><p>Horatio watched as Greg processed the story. "You knew my mother all these years," he quietly said.<br>"Yes, and had I known she got pregnant I would have done something." Horatio said, "But it sounds like William Maher forbid her to tell me."

"Grandpa Maher was really strict." Greg said, "He had all sorts of rules. He told my mother she wasn't allowed to tell me who my father was."

"How did Rochelle do?" Horatio asked, "After she went back home."

"From what she's told me Grandpa Maher went ballistic when she told him she was pregnant." Greg explained, "He tried to pull her out of college but she refused to listen. She ended up leaving the school and moving to Sacramento. She went to school there and eventually I was born so she started juggling going to school part time and a child and a full time job. She eventually earned her degree in early education and got a job as a kindergarten teacher." Greg chuckled, "She was actually my kindergarten teacher, because by then it was time for me to enroll in school."

Horatio smiled and looked at the young man who was his son. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm glad she didn't wait around for someone to take care of her. I never did think Rochelle would be that kind of girl."

Horatio leaned back in his chair and looked at Ryan. "I suppose you want to know about your mother now."

Ryan nodded his head nervously. "Yeah, if you can remember."

"Well I have to be honest with you Ryan I'm not completely sure I know but I have a very good hunch as to who she is." Horatio said, "Going by your age you were conceived probably when I was still at the police academy. And there's only one girl that sticks out in my mind around that time."

* * *

><p>The room was packed with people. The lights flashed and pulsed in time with the music. It was dark and Horatio was having a hard time seeing. He didn't understand why he agreed to go out with his friends from the academy that night.<p>

Smoke hung thick in the air and Horatio coughed lightly. He made his way to the bar and ordered a beer. As he walked around the room with his stein trying to find his friends people bumped into him and drunkenly stumbled off. The same girl kept coming up and clinging to him, joking that she thought he was her boyfriend. He pulled away from her and continued his path around the club.

Brian and Frank laughed when Horatio finally joined them at their booth.

"Having fun there red?" Brian asked.

"Only if you call girls crawling all over you fun." Horatio retorted, drinking his beer.

"Come on chief," Frank said, "Lighten up. Let's get a pitcher. Hey waiter!"

Horatio sat with his friends and drank, watching everyone else dance. One girl kept looking over at Horatio, eyeing him as she danced in time to the music. She wasn't very tall with short brown hair that hung around her chin and eyes the color of caramel. Her body was slender the short blue halter dress she wore clung to her curves nicely. Horatio smiled at her and she blushed and looked away.

"Go after her," Brian said.

"Who?" Horatio asked, playing dumb.

"That chick, she's totally into you."

"No, she must be looking at someone else."

"Nope, she's checking out you chief," Frank said.

Horatio sighed and shook his head. He stood from the table and walked towards the girl. His footing felt a little uneven, which was understandable since he and his friends had already gone through two pitchers.

He walked over to the girl and smiled at her. She returned the smile and placed her hands on his hips.

"Well hey there big guy," she said as she began to rub her hips against his. "Who you looking for?"

"Well I wasn't looking for anyone in particular but you caught my attention," Horatio said, placing his hands on her shoulders. She spun around and began grinding her backside against him. "Well I'm glad I did," she smirked.

She bought him shots of tequila and whiskey and they continued to dance. Horatio became more and more drunk as the night dragged on. The girl's name was Maya Taylor and she was a student at Dade University.

She pulled Horatio out the backdoor and into an alley. She giggled as she pressed his back against the wall and kissed him. Horatio smiled and kissed her back.

"I want you Horatio," Maya said. "I want you right here right now."

"Fine with me," Horatio said, pulling at his belt buckle.

He pinned Maya against the wall and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He slid in between her legs under her short blue dress. It was hot and heavy and Horatio panted with effort. Several people walked by and caught sight of them but no one seemed to care, since they were also drunk.

"Oh god," Maya moaned, "I'll never forget you Horatio Caine."

* * *

><p>Ryan sat there on the couch and sighed. "Go figure, I'm the result of a drunken one night stand. A one night stand in an alley behind some sleazy club nonetheless."<p>

Horatio looked at him, pain running through his deep blue eyes. "I'm sorry Ryan," he whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Well I guess it makes sense," Ryan said. "When Taylor took me to the hospital the doctors told her the reason I had a fever and I wouldn't stop crying was because I was going through withdrawal."

"From what?" Greg quietly asked.

"Valium and alcohol," Ryan said, "The doctors said it was a miracle that I was alive, seeing as that combination is deadly for an adult, let alone a baby still in the womb. They suspected my birth mother might have been attempting suicide while she was still pregnant. I also have a very mild case of fetal alcohol syndrome."

"Is that what the doctors think caused the OCD?" Greg quietly asked, trying to comfort Ryan the best he could.

"No, that's just a behavioral thing." Ryan said, "My childhood psychiatrist thinks that it might have been triggered by the FAS but it's really because she thinks I have a desire to control my environment after being abandoned."

Greg rubbed Ryan's back and smiled at him reassuringly. Horatio looked at the young man and felt his heart twist in his chest. He stood from his chair and walked over to the couch. Ryan looked up at him. Horatio held out his hand and Ryan slowly accepted it with a shaking one of his own. Horatio pulled him up and into his arms and held him close. Tears suddenly flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks as he truly held his son for the first time.

Ryan wrapped his arms around Horatio and cried. He didn't know why he was crying. There were so many things going through his head that he didn't understand what he was feeling anymore.

"I'm sorry Ryan," Horatio quietly said, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you all these years. If I had known you existed I would have done something more."

"It's ok," Ryan choked out, "I'm not mad at you. She never told you. You probably never heard from her again after that anyways."

"No, I never saw her again."

"There was nothing you could do." Ryan quietly, "But don't blame yourself." He said as he looked into Horatio's eyes. "Don't think you ruined my life in anyway. I love my adopted family. They saved me from dying. My birth mother leaving me on Taylor's doorstep was probably the best thing she could ever do for me."

Horatio felt more tears pour down his face as he pulled Ryan back into his arms. "I can't believe it, I have another son."

"Well…" Greg quietly said, standing from the couch. Horatio chuckled lightly and looked at Greg. "I'm sorry, I have two more sons." Greg smiled at him as Horatio pulled him into his arms.

They wandered into the kitchen where Horatio poured them each a glass of iced tea. "Have you told Kyle?" Ryan quietly asked as they drank their tea.

"No, not yet," Horatio said, "I haven't told anyone."

"I told my Mom and Nick." Greg said, "I haven't broke the news to Lucy yet though."

"What about you Ryan?" Horatio asked.

"Well here's the thing with the Simmons family," Ryan said with a small smile on his face, "You can't tell just one. I talked to Mary Ellen about the DNA test and the possibility of Greg being my biological brother but I haven't told her the result yet. I figured it would be better to just tell them all at once to avoid confusion and mayhem."

"Does Walter know?" Horatio asked.

"Nope, I didn't even tell Wally."

"Ryan, when you tell them, could I go with you?" Horatio quietly asked.

Ryan looked at him. A small, shy smile appeared on his face. "Yeah, I think I would like that."

"Can I go too?" Greg asked.

Ryan chuckled lightly. "Sure, why not? Come meet my crazy black family."


	11. Chapter 11

'_Omg Ryan, you're never going to believe what Lucy did! –Greg'_

* * *

><p>Greg stared out the window of the rental car as Nick drove. They were in Sacramento and it was the day before Greg's grandfather's funeral. Rochelle had insisted that Nick and Greg stay with her and Greg's father, Robert, while they were in town.<p>

Greg sighed and looked at his sleeping daughter in his lap. He carefully pushed the hair out of her face and smiled.

"You know it's dangerous and illegal to have a child ride on your lap in a car, right?" Nick asked him.

"Yeah, sorry," Greg muttered, "I just want her closer right now."

Nick looked over at him and gave him a warm smile. "Still a little shaken up about the DNA test results, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's going to take a while to get used to the fact that I have a brother and a little niece and a bimbo of a sister-in-law."

Nick chuckled and reached over to hold his hand. "You just don't want to let your baby get away, do you?"

"Yeah, even though I know she'll be fine just riding in her booster seat I just can't stand the thought of being away from her right now."

"A little separation anxiety going on right now," Nick said.

Greg chuckled lightly. "How did you know?"

"When you practically cried when we dropped Lucy off at preschool last week," Nick said with a smile and a laugh. He looked at Greg as the car stopped at a red light. He leaned over and kissed him gently. "I love you G. No matter what I say during our fights I'm so glad you said yes all those years ago."

* * *

><p>Greg carried the still sleeping Lucy in his arms into his mother's house while Nick carried their luggage. Rochelle smiled at the sight of her only son. She wrapped her arms around Greg's shoulders, encasing him and Lucy together. Greg smiled and kissed her cheek. "Hi Momma," he said.<p>

"Oh look at my little peanut," Rochelle said in a loving tone. She looked at Lucy and smiled as she stroked her cheek. "Oh my, Lucy's gotten so big since the last time I saw her!"

"She went through quite the growths spurt the last six months," Nick said.

Rochelle smiled at him and pulled him in for a hug. "Nick, it's been so long since we last talked."

Nick kissed her cheek and smiled. "Sorry Rochelle, we've been really busy with work."

"You work in the field, right Nick?" Rochelle asked as she led them through the house.

"Yes, still only level two but Horatio said within the next six months I can test for level three placement," Nick explained.

Rochelle looked at him and then at Greg. "How is Horatio?" she quietly asked.

Greg smiled at her. "He's good, he said to tell you he misses you and he thinks of you often."

Rochelle led them into Greg's old bedroom. School awards and science posters still hung on the walls. Greg smiled at the sight of the galaxy sheets still on the bed as he gently laid Lucy down.

"Poor girl," Nick said, "The time difference is causing her major jet lag."

"Well I hope she can find you two when she wakes up at four in the morning because she can't sleep anymore," Rochelle said with a smile. She looked at the sleeping child and her eyes filled with tears. "She's so beautiful. Do you know the biological parents?"

"Nop closed adoption," Nick said. "All we know is the birth mother was only fourteen years old."

"She made a very difficult decision," Rochelle quietly said, tears forming in her eyes.

Greg reached out and wrapped his long arms around her shoulders. He kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. "I love you Momma," he whispered.

"I love you, too, peanut," Rochelle said, "I'm so glad I changed my mind."

"Me too," Nick said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Rochelle from the other side.

* * *

><p>Lucy opened her eyes and looked around the strange room. There were pictures of science stuff on the walls and fancy awards. She stood and walked over to the desk. There were several pictures of a younger version of her Daddy and her grandparents. Lucy looked back at the bed and found a small piece of paper on the nightstand. There was a heart drawn on it in red marker.<p>

Lucy looked around the room and found a trail of pieces of paper with more hearts drawn on them on the floor. She followed them out the door and into the hall. She immediately recognized her grandparent's house as sleep slowly left her. She followed the trail down the hall and to another room. A heart was taped to the door. Lucy opened the door and found her fathers sleeping in the bed.

Lucy wandered over to Nick's side of the bed and shook his arm. "Pa-pa?" she whispered.

Nick's eyes slowly opened and he yawned. He looked at his daughter and smiled. "Hey baby," he quietly said, "Awake already?"

"Yes but you can go back to sleep," Lucy said, "I'll just go watch TV."

Nick chuckled and looked at the clock. "Lucy it's only five, the good cartoons don't come on until eight."

Lucy giggled and smiled as her father ran his fingers through her hair. "Can I stay with you and Daddy?"

"Yeah, there's always room for Lucy-Lou." Nick lifted Lucy from the ground and onto his chest. He laid there with his daughter, gently stroking her back. Nick slowly started to drift back to sleep when Lucy spoke. "Pa-pa, why did Great-Grandpa Maher hate us?"

Nick opened his eyes and looked at her confused. "What do you mean Lucy-Lou?"

"Well he never liked us like Grandma and Grandpa Stokes."

"Great-Grandpa Maher was different," Nick tried to explain, "He grew up in a different time period."

"Were boys not allowed to get married to boys then?" Lucy asked.

"No, they weren't. In fact people of the same gender couldn't get married until just a few years ago."

"Is that when you and Daddy got married?"

Nick smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "Yup, the day after it was legalized I asked Daddy to marry me and a week later we were married. We didn't have a special ceremony until a few weeks after though."

"I like that story," Lucy said. "Why don't people like boys marrying boys?"

"Well some people think it's wrong." Nick tried to simplify, "They think only boys and girls should get married because they think that's the way it's supposed to be."

"Pa-pa, if you had married a girl would you still have adopted me?"

"You know Lucy I don't know. If I had married a girl we could have made a baby. Daddy and I decided to adopt you because we couldn't make a baby. Instead we decided we wanted to adopt a special little girl."

"Am I special?"

Nick smiled and kissed her forehead. "The most special in the whole world, that's why we picked you instead of any other baby."

"Pa-pa can I have a little brother?"

Nick chuckled. "A little brother?" he playfully said, "Why would you need one of those?"

"So I can have someone to play with when you and Daddy are busy."

Nick smiled and stroked her cheek. "You know what Daddy and I will talk about it. I don't think we can do it right now but maybe soon we can."

"Ok," Lucy said, a little upset.

"Hey, no going blue here," Nick playfully said. "If you're going to be blue I'm going to have to tickle you."

Lucy giggled and cuddled closer to her father. "I love you Pa-pa."

Nick smiled and kissed her cheek. "And I love you Lucy-Lou."

* * *

><p>Greg walked around the funeral home with his mother, greeting and thanking guests for their condolence. Greg recognized a few from his childhood. Others knew him but he hadn't the slightest clue who they were. Most commented on what a handsome young man he had turned out to be and praised him for his advancing career. A few tried to introduce him to their daughter or niece. Greg smiled and thanked them, explaining he was already happily married.<p>

Rochelle grabbed Greg's hand when she saw her uncle. Greg felt his insides twist at the sight of Edward Maher, his grandfather's brother. Edward approached them, taking in their presence.

"You've gotten fat Rachel," he said.

"Rochelle," she quietly corrected him.

"Whatever," he mumbled. His bloodshot eyes grazed over Greg and a disgusted look washed over his face. "So this is the bastard faggot my brother told me about."

Greg squeezed Rochelle's hand hard, trying to maintain control. "Good to see you too Uncle Edward," Greg politely sneered.

"Don't call me Uncle," Edward ordered, "There's no faggots allowed in my family. Why don't you do us all a favor and marry a woman you fairy."

"Uncle, please stop," Rochelle quietly said.

"Shut up you cow," Edwards snapped, "It's my brother's funeral, I'll talk how I want."

Several guests and family members heard the commotion and began to stare at the confrontation. Nick stood nearby, holding Lucy's hand with a death grip. Lucy hid behind his legs, trying to be invisible from the scary man who was insulting her Daddy.

"Edward," another male family member said as he approached, "Now's not the time."

"Oh shut up Harold!" Edward hollered, "My brother's just died and his whore of a daughter had the nerve to bring along her little fairy boy!"

"Excuse me, but I have every right to be here," Greg said. "William was my grandfather and he may have not been my favorite person but I'm here to honor him."

"You little pussy, you have no right to talk to me!" Edward spat.

"Hey, that's my Daddy you're talking to!" Lucy snapped. She ran from Nick and he quickly chased after her.

Lucy stood before the elderly man and glared at him. Edward stared at her and cocked his head to the side. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"My name's Lucy Sanders-Stokes and that's my Daddy you're being mean to!"

"Daddy? Faggots can't have children."

"Don't say that word!" Lucy ordered, "That's a bad word!"

"What the hell do you know? You're only two."

"No, I'm four and a half bitch!"

The old man looked down at her. "Maybe that faggot is your father, you're just as disrespectful."

"Fuck off old man!" Lucy snapped. She drew back and then swung her fist forward. She punched the old man hard in the groin and he doubled over in pain. A few other guests rushed to his side and helped him out of the room. Edward muttered something under his breath as he looked back at Lucy.

The room was silent as the remaining guests stared at Lucy in shock. Nick stepped forward and gently pulled on her arm, trying to lead her away. An elderly man about Edward's age walked over to them. He stopped in front of Lucy and looked down at her. Lucy stared back at him with a stern face. He held out his hand and Lucy looked at it and then back at the man. He winked at her and Lucy smiled. She slapped her palm against his and laughed when he smiled.

"Good work young lady," he said, "I've wanted to do that for years."

Nick smiled and patted Lucy's shoulder. "That's our girl," he proudly declared.

**The thing with the paper heart trail, that was supposed to be Nick who left it. It just sounds like something cute Nick would do, because we all know he's a really sensitive guy underneath it all. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

'_Count down to meeting the Simmons- tee minus ten minutes. Wish us luck Nick. –G'_

* * *

><p>Ryan's eyes continuously darted to his right as he drove. His palms were sweaty and he tried to breathe easy. Horatio smiled at him and panted his knee. "You'll be fine," he reassuringly said, "From what I here the Simmons are every accepting."<p>

"I know," Ryan quietly said, "I just can't help it."

"Just relax," Greg said from the backseat, "It's really not as hard as you think it's going to be."

"I know Greg but- what's in your nose?" Ryan asked.

Greg's ears flushed red and he popped the green candies out of his nose. "Um, nothing."

"I said they looked like boogers," Olivia happily laughed, "So Greg put them in his nose!"

Ryan smiled and chuckled at his daughter's amusement. "Maybe that DNA test was wrong."

"You're ashamed to admit we're brothers now?" Greg asked.

Ryan pulled up to the large white house and cut the engine. He took a deep breathe and stared at the house.

"Ready?" Horatio quietly asked him.  
>Ryan nodded his head. "As ready as I'll ever be."<p>

The house was crowded with people as Ryan led the way to the living room. All six of his brothers and sisters were scattered around the large room. They were loud as they excitedly greeted Ryan. All of them hugged him and joked around as they apprehensively looked at Horatio and Greg. Taylor and Daniel Simmons appeared from the kitchen. Taylor smiled and kissed Ryan's cheek as she embraced him. She loudly exclaimed as she lifted Olivia into her arms.

"Oh look at my little grandbaby!" she declared, "You've gotten so big!"

"Grandma Tay!" Olivia laughed, "I missed you!"

Walter walked over to Ryan and motioned for him to follow. "Why are H and Greg here?" Walter asked when they were in the hall.

Ryan sighed and looked at Walter. "Because there's something I need to tell everyone and I wanted them here."

"What is it?" Walter inquired.

Ryan looked at him, weighing out his options. "Ok Walter, I'll tell you now." He finally said, "Greg and I did a DNA test. We're half brothers and Horatio is our father."

Walter's jaw hit the ground and he stared at Ryan. "H is your father?"

"Yeah," Ryan said with a nervously laugh, "It was kind of a shock."

"That explains why he disappeared that day and we didn't see him for a week."

"Yup, that would be the reason."

"That's why you wanted to have this family dinner, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I wanted to tell everyone all at once." Ryan looked at Walter and suddenly became worried again. "You don't think everyone's going to hate me, do you?"

"Why would we hate you?" Walter asked confused.

"For finding my biological father."

"Were you looking for him?"

"Well no, Greg and I were just curious if we were brothers and CODIS threw out Horatio as a paternal match."

"Are you planning on abandoning your black heritage now that you found your birth father?" Walter sarcastically asked.

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "Of course not, once you go black you never go back." Walter laughed and they fist bumped. They smiled at each other before they finally hugged. "Thanks Wally," Ryan said, "I love you man."

"Hey anything for my miniature big brother," Walter chuckled.

* * *

><p>Ryan's family looked at him when he finally finished explaining about the DNA test. He fidgeted nervously in his place.<p>

"So Horatio's your birth father?" Mary Ellen asked. Ryan nodded his head and answered with an also inaudible "Yeah."

"And this guy Greg's your half brother?" his sister Lisa asked. Another nod and a quiet "Yes."

"Well what are you freaking out about whitey?" Taylor sarcastically asked, "Nothing wrong with finding your biological family and bringing them over for dinner you freaking basketcase."

Ryan smiled and laughed in relief. "Hell if I know," he chuckled.

"Well are you going to introduce us?" Daniel asked.

Ryan's ears turned red and he looked at them embarrassed. "Um, yeah, sorry," he stuttered. He looked towards Horatio and Greg where they were sitting on a couch, Olivia sitting in Greg's lap. "Well I've already introduced Horatio and Greg and I think you all know Olivia. Horatio, Greg this is my crazy black family."

"Hey don't go calling us crazy boy," Daniel said with a smile. "Maybe we outta take you back to the broken baby bargain bin."

Ryan's ears turned red and he shook his head. "These are my parents, Taylor and Daniel Simmons. These are my sisters, Mary Ellen, Lisa, and Sarah. Then my brothers Peter, Darren, and I believe you already know Walter."

"Are you the oldest Ryan?" Horatio inquired.

"By default yes I am," Ryan said, "Mary Ellen's only three months younger than me."

"So you were pregnant when you found Ryan, Taylor?" Horatio asked.

"Yes, little whitey nearly sent me into labor from fright that day," Taylor said with a laugh. Her face became more serious as she remembered. "Poor thing looked terrible. He was cold and turning blue, only wrapped in a dirty towel. I don't know how long he was there before I found him. Broke my heart seeing that tiny baby on my doorstep."

"Wait," Olivia interrupted, "Greg's your brother, Daddy?"

"Yeah Olivia, Greg and I are brothers."

"And this guy," she pointed to Horatio, "Is your Daddy?"

Ryan chuckled lightly. "Yeah, Horatio's my father."

"So he's my grandpa?"

"Yes Olivia," Ryan patiently explained.

"But I thought Grandpa Daniel was my grandpa."

"Well he is but Horatio is, too."

"But he's not brown."

The room erupted into a burst of laughter. Greg tousled Olivia's hair and smiled at her. "You're funny Ozzie," he said to her. Olivia looked at him and let out an exasperated breath. "I don't get how I was funny," she said confused.


	13. Chapter 13

**The beginning of this chapter is what I think Ryan would be like as a father. :)**

"_Ryan, you can't hide from me forever. I don't know if you believe in twin telepathy but I do and I can feel you. You're around here somewhere. Oh hey, I see you now. Well I'm going to try and call you again and you better answer this time."_

* * *

><p>Ryan laid on his back on the floor of his living room. His legs were held up and Olivia was balanced on her stomach on the bottoms of his feet. Ryan imitated airplane noises as Olivia pretended to battle in the air.<p>

"Look out Captain Ozzie, fighter jets coming in on your left!" Ryan said.

"Not on my watch!" Olivia declared, pretending to shoot down the imaginary fighter jets.

"Captain Ozzie your engines on your right wing have gone out," Ryan prompted, "What are you going to do?"

"Repair it of course!" Olivia exclaimed as she reached out her arms to the right and acted as if she was fixing something in the air. "Done!"

"Captain Ozzie this is ground control," Ryan said into his cupped hand, distorting his voice, "The landing strip is ready for you."

"Rodger that!" Olivia resumed her driving as Ryan provided the sound effects for her landing. Ryan bent his legs and grasped Olivia in his hands, holding her above him at arms length. "Success!" he exclaimed, "The puppies of flight 402 are safe again thanks to Captain Ozzie!"

Olivia laughed and kicked her legs and swung her arms. Ryan smiled and pulled her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you Daddy," Olivia said. "Thanks for playing with me."

"You're welcome Olivia," Ryan said with a smile. "Anything for my little Ozzie."

The front door swung open and Khandice ambled in. "Honey, I'm home!" she loudly declared.

"Mommy!" Olivia said, "You're home!" She ran from Ryan and over to her mother. Khandice scooped Olivia into her arms and kissed her cheek. "Hey girlie, did you miss me?"

"Yeah!" Olivia said with a smile.

Ryan walked over and smiled at his wife. "Hey Hun," he said as he kissed her, "How was Europe?"

"Fantastic!" Khandice declared.

Ryan smiled and kissed her again. "You must be tired, I mean you were gone for so long."

"Not too tired," Khandice whispered, secretly cupping Ryan and squeezing. Ryan smirked and kissed her again. "Alright, well Olivia and I were going to eat some dinner. Why don't you join us and then we can, well you know." Ryan smiled slyly.

"Sounds good to me," Khandice said with a kiss.

* * *

><p>Nick watched as the AV tech virtually disassembled the computer's memory he was working on. Ryan walked in and handed him a cup of coffee.<br>"Thanks man," Nick said as he took a drink.  
>"Anything for my brother-in-law," Ryan replied with a smile.<p>

Ryan watched as the computer gibberish that made no sense to him flashed by. "So what's going on?" he asked.

"Ted here is taking apart our salesman's internet history." Nick explained, "It seems Charlie thought he could hide some naughty websites just by deleting his recent history."

"Should have known that only works with the wife," Ryan said.

"Speaking of which, how's Khandi?" Nick asked.

"Back, she came home last night."

"Really?" Nick inquired, "Eight weeks in Europe her limit?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Whatever man."

"Hey check out what I found," Ted said. "Our salesman was checking more than just his investments at the office."

Nick and Ryan looked over Ted's shoulder. There were dozens of addresses for different porn sites.  
>"Wow, our boy was busy," Nick commented. "Lotsa Lezzes, Dare Devil Dicks, Jumbo Jets; this guy had quite the varying taste."<p>

"Ted, click on that one," Ryan said, pointing to a link.

"iKhandi? Why?" Ted asked.

"Just curious," Ryan muttered.

Ted clicked on the link and a website popped up. It had a black background with a pink boarder and accents. Printed in white scrolling letters was the title "iKhandi." A large picture took up the center of the page of a woman with blonde hair wearing a pink corset, her large breast mostly exposed. She was sitting on a large bed with pink satin bedding. Her brown eyes burned into Ryan's brain.  
>"Oh god no Ryan," Nick practically whispered.<p>

"Wow, I see why you wanted to check out this one," Ted said with a cocky tone. "This chick's hot! Have you been here before?"

"No, but I know her," Ryan said walking towards the door.

"You do? For real?" Ted asked, clearly impressed.

"Yeah, she's my wife."

* * *

><p>Ryan looked at the screen on his phone and sneered at the sight of Greg's name. "Don't tell me you said I told you so," Ryan angrily said into the phone, "Because I don't need that right now."<p>

"No, you don't," Greg quietly said, "But you do need someone. Do you want to talk?"

"No Greg, I don't," Ryan snapped. Ryan hung up his phone and continued to stare at the tile floor in the locker room. "Too bad, because you're my brother so you're stuck with me." Ryan turned and looked at where Greg was standing at the end of the row of lockers. He looked at Ryan timidly for a moment before he walked over and sat next to him on the bench.

They sat there in silence together for several minutes. "Do you want to talk?" Greg whispered.

Ryan shook his head. "No, I don't."

"We don't have to talk about the website," Greg said. "We can talk about something else."

"I don't want to talk Greg." Ryan growled, "I just discovered my wife's a porn star, do you know how that feels?"

"Um actually I don't," Greg said, slightly baffled, "I've never had a wife and Nick's not a porn star. I think you've got me there."

"Great, now leave me alone!" Ryan snapped. He buried his face in his hands, trying to mask the fact that he was crying. Ryan heard Greg stand and walk away. A few moments later he heard him return and felt him sit down on the bench. He shrugged off his hand when Greg tried to touch his shoulder.  
>"I told you I don't want to talk Greg!" Ryan barked.<br>"Too bad," Horatio said, "Because you're going to."

Ryan lifted his head and looked at Horatio. He could see Greg standing at the end of the lockers, trying to hide in the background.

"I may have not been there when you were growing up but let me be here now." Horatio said, "Please Ryan, talk to me."

Ryan looked at him and began sobbing again. "I should have known," he quietly said. "All the trips, the mysterious managers, the fact that I hardly ever see her pictures in any of these ads she's told me about, and the fact that she's got a six figure salary for standing in front of a camera." Ryan cried and wiped tears from his eyes. "I should have known."

"Ryan you couldn't have known," Horatio said. "Khandice was deceitful. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"But I should have known," Ryan said again, "I should have known something was going on."

"Ryan there's no use in crying over the past," Horatio said, "All we can do now is move forward from here. And that's what we're going to do." Horatio slipped his hand into Ryan's and squeezed it. "Together, as a family."

Ryan smiled at him. "Thanks H," he whispered. Horatio returned the smile and wrapped his arms around Ryan. "Anything for my son," he quietly said.

Ryan sat there and breathed deeply. "So," Horatio said, "What are you going to do now?"

Ryan sighed heavily and shook his head. "I guess I'm going to look into filing for a divorce." Ryan heard Greg make a weird sound and Ryan looked towards him. "Yes?" Ryan prompted.

"Can I say I told you so now?" Greg said with a smirk, trying to hide behind the lockers.

Ryan chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, I guess you can."

"I told you so!" Greg exclaimed as he took off running.

"Oh no you don't!" Ryan retorted, running after him. "Just because you're older doesn't mean you can get away with it!"

"What's wrong little brother? Can't keep up?" Greg called over his shoulder.

"I'm going to beat the dye right out of your hair!" Ryan called.

* * *

><p>Nick looked at the iKhandi website, trying to collect evidence for Ryan. He found a link at the bottom of the page that caught his attention. "The Wolfe Den?" Nick read aloud. He clicked on the link and an archive of videos appeared.<p>

The videos were in a different location than the rest on the website. The room appeared to be more homey and lived in. the cameras were set at different angles in the room and users could select whatever viewpoint they wanted. Nick selected one from the left of the bed. He hit the play button and watched as two bodies fell onto the bed.

A man and a woman rolled around on top of the bedding, kissing and touching each other. She sat on his hips and began pulling off his clothes. Nick sighed and closed the window, hiding Ryan and Khandice away.

Greg and Ryan came clattering into the lab, running at full speed. Ryan tackled Greg to the ground. "Ha! I got you!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Whoa there buddy," Nick said in his Texan drawl, "That's my husband."

"Ew, not with my brother!" Ryan retorted as he helped Greg to his feet.

"Not with Greg? Does that mean you want to come play for the other team now?" Nick teased.

"Ha ha," Ryan sneered as he walked over to the desk where Nick was working. He stopped and looked at the computer screen. "Is that my bedroom?" he asked, pointing to the screen.

"Um, is it?" Nick asked, trying to hide the window.

"Yeah, that's my bedroom," Ryan said, pulling at Nick's arm. "What are you doing?" Ryan's jaw dropped as he looked at the website. "Oh god," he muttered, "Oh god no."

Horatio entered the lab. He looked at Ryan's shocked face and walked over to the desk. "Ryan?" he quietly said. He followed Ryan's gaze and looked at the computer screen. "Oh no," he said in realization.

Ryan's phone chirped and he looked at his alarm flashing the message to pick up Olivia. "I have to go pick up Ozzie," he absent mindedly said. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Ryan," Horatio said, grabbing his arm, "Just take the rest of the day off. Be with your daughter."

Ryan nodded his head. "See you tomorrow," he muttered as he walked away.

Nick and Greg watched Ryan walk towards the elevator. "You want me to pick up Lucy today?" Nick asked.

"No, I'll go," Greg said. "You have an open case you need to work on. I'll see you when you get home. Horatio, is it ok if I take the rest of the day off?"

"Is your lab work caught up?" Horatio asked.

"Yes, and I've prepped the cases for the night shift."

"Are you going to Ryan's to help destroy some webcams?" Horatio inquired.

"Yup, at least that's what I'm hoping."

"Alright then, but I get to keep Nick until his shift is done."

"You got it," Greg said as he walked towards the door. He stopped and kissed Nick's cheek. "Bye Nicky," he said as he continued on.

Nick watched Greg leave. "Damn lab rat," Nick muttered, "Always leaving me behind."

Horatio chuckled and smiled. "Does he do that a lot?"

"Only when something's bothering him," Nick said, "And I think he's about as freaked out as Ryan."


	14. Chapter 14

'_Greg, is it really cheating if you're getting a divorce? -Ryan'_

* * *

><p>Ryan hurried through the halls of the school. He watched through the window as children played in the classroom, waiting for their parents to take them home. Olivia was sitting with Samantha at a table coloring. Samantha seemed to be trying to convey something to Olivia who was refusing whatever it was. Ryan walked in and went over to the table. Their conversation slowly made its way to his ears.<p>

"That's my new grandpa, Horatio, and that's my new uncle, Greg." Olivia said, "They're Daddy's biological family. I wanted to draw my Daddy a picture with his family so he remembers that I love him a lot."

"But don't you want your mommy in the picture?" Samantha inquired.

Olivia shook her head and continued coloring. "No, I'd rather she wasn't there. I like it when it's just me and Daddy. He's fun and he plays with me and he loves me a lot. Mommy didn't want me. She wishes I was never born."

"Hey Ozzie," Ryan said, trying to distract Samantha from Olivia's comment, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Olivia said, jumping from her chair. She grabbed the picture and ran towards Ryan. "Look Daddy I made you a picture!"

"Wow, that's really pretty." Ryan praised, "Is that Horatio and Greg?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make you a picture with your new family!"

Ryan chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Well how about we go out for some hot chocolate?"

"Really?" Olivia asked excitedly.

"Yeah, let's switch things up a bit."

Olivia hugged him tightly and smiled. "I love you Daddy!"

"I love you too Ozzie." Ryan said with a smile.

Ryan stood and turned to Samantha. "It was good seeing you again Samantha."

"Ryan, is everything alright at home?" Samantha asked immediately.

Ryan looked at her, not really sure what to say. "Do you want to go get a cup of coffee with us?" Ryan asked, surprising even himself.

Samantha looked at him and smiled shyly. "Um, well I have to wait for the other parents to pick up their children…"

"That's ok, I'll wait." Ryan said with a smile. "Come on Ozzie, show me some of the projects you've done this week."

"Ok!" Olivia excitedly exclaimed.

Olivia led Ryan around the room, showing him the various pictures she had drawn and class work she had completed. Ryan watched Nick walk into the classroom and nod towards him. It had been a month since Nick and Ryan stumbled onto the iKhandi website. Ryan still hadn't filed for a divorce, or even talked to Khandice about the website, but Nick, Greg, and Horatio were secretly helping him prepare a case for any possible custody issues.

"Daddy look!" Olivia exclaimed. She pointed to a picture on the wall and Ryan smiled. It was a picture Lucy Sanders-Stokes had drawn of Lucy and Olivia. Sprawled across the top in messy, blocky letters was the word "Cousins." Ryan smiled and gently squeezed Olivia's hand.

One by one the number of children in the room slowly dwindled down until there was no one left but Ryan, Olivia, and Samantha. She smiled and walked over to the table where Olivia was drawing Ryan another picture.

"Well my shift is done," Samantha said with a smile, "How about that coffee?"

Ryan smiled shyly at her and diverted his eyes as the tops of his ears turned red. He looked back at her and nodded his head. "Yeah, coffee sounds great."

"Not for me," Olivia said, "I want that hot chocolate."

* * *

><p>Samantha listened as Ryan explained about the iKhandi website. He shifted Olivia on his lap and cradled her in his arms as she snoozed. He stroked her hair and smiled. "She usually takes a nap around this time." Ryan explained, "I guess things don't bother her like they do me. Oh well, hopefully she didn't inherit my OCD."<p>

"Does it bother you?" Samantha asked, "Having OCD that is."

"You know I can't really say it bothers me." Ryan speculated, "It's more like it's an inconvenience sometimes because I have to do things a certain way and I worry all the time about everything it seems."

"But you make do?" Samantha inquired.

Ryan smiled at her and then looked down at Olivia. "Yeah, I do."

"Ryan, what are you going to do about Khandi?" Samantha asked, "Are you really going to divorce her because she's a porn star?"

"Yeah, I am," Ryan said in a rigid voice. "I view this as cheating. She's breaking that vow we made nine years ago to be faithful to each other. I mean if it had been one time and she had told me about it maybe I would have forgiven her, but she's kept this secret from me our entire marriage. She's made hundreds of videos of herself; with other men, other women, and sometimes by herself." Ryan's eyes watered slightly and his grip on Olivia tightened. "She even has an entire section of the website dedicated to our sex life."

"Wait, what?" Samantha asked.

"Turns out she's been secretly broadcasting videos from our bedroom for seven years," Ryan explained, "She even has videos from when she was pregnant. I mean it's bad enough to have our sex life broadcasted out to the entire world but to subject our daughter to it too?"

Samantha reached across and took Ryan's hand. "I'm so sorry Ryan," she quietly said. "I wish there was something I could say to you to convey how terrible I feel for you but words can't express what I'm feeling right now."

Ryan smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "How about I give you a ride home?" he offered.

Samantha smiled at him. "You're not going to make me ride the dirty bus?"

"Of course not," Ryan said as he stood with Olivia in his arms, "Just because your car's in the shop doesn't mean you have to suffer."

It was a quick ride to Samantha's apartment. It was a small townhouse that was two stories. It was painted light blue with white shutters. Ryan smiled at the sight of it. It seemed homey and very much so Samantha.

Ryan walked her to the door as Samantha fumbled through her bag for her keys. She nervously played with them as they stood on her doorstep. "Thanks for the coffee and the ride home," she said, fidgeting with her keys. "I really enjoy spending time with you Ryan."

Ryan smiled at her and watched a small blush form on her cheeks. She dropped her keys and embarrassingly looked at him. "Oops," she quietly said. Samantha knelt to the ground and picked up her keys. She looked up at Ryan and blushed again, but lost her balance as she tried to stand. She fell forward and grabbed at Ryan to try and stop her self. She in-avertedly grabbed between his legs and her face smashed into his groin. Samantha's face lit up like a Christmas tree and Ryan's face flushed red, knowing she now knew he was half hard while just looking at her.

Samantha jumped to her feet and pressed her back against the doorframe. "I'm so sorry Ryan!" she blurted out, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to grab you!"

Ryan looked at her. Her face was bright red and a thin line of sweat had begun to form along her hairline. Ryan suddenly started laughing so hard tears formed in his eyes. Samantha looked at him and a smile crept across her face. She started laughing with him and relaxed a little. Ryan reached out and gently placed his hand on her face, looking deep into her green eyes.

"You know Samantha if there was something you wanted to know you could have asked," he said with a sly smile.

She smiled back at him and giggled nervously. "Sorry, I never was good at being discreet…or graceful," she jokingly responded.

Ryan smiled and looked at Samantha again. He leaned in and gently kissed her. Her lips were soft and they tasted like apples. He suddenly realized what he was doing and pulled back. Ryan looked at Samantha shocked, not really sure what to do. An awkward silence fell over them as they stood there on her doorstep.

"Um, I'm going to head home now," Ryan quietly said, not daring to look at her again. "I'll see you tomorrow…when I drop off Olivia at school."

"Uh, yeah, alright," Samantha muttered as she fiddled with her keys. "Uh, bye Ryan."

"Good-bye Samantha," Ryan responded as he turned and walked away.

Ryan climbed into his car and looked back at her townhouse. Samantha was gone, no doubt about it inside. He sighed and rested his forehead against the steering wheel.

"Did you just kiss my teacher?"

Ryan's head shot up and he slammed it against the headrest. He grasped at the spot where he hit and rubbed it to soothe the pain. He looked in the rearview mirror to see Olivia staring at him from her booster seat.

"Um, of course not Ozzie," Ryan quickly lied.

"Daddy, you shouldn't lie." Olivia said, "I saw you kiss Miss Samantha."

"Ozzie…" Ryan muttered.

"It's ok Daddy, I can keep a secret." Olivia said, "Besides I like Miss Samantha better than Mommy. She remembers my birthday."


	15. Chapter 15

**This was honestly my favorite chapter to write in the whole story. I'm one of those people who believe that everything happens for a reason and everyone we meet has an impact on our lives. This chapter's dedicated to everyone who's ever made a difference in the life of another person.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey Catherine, it's Nick. I just thought I'd call you and see how you were doing. Uh, Greg and I are doing well. We've really settled into the Miami lab pretty well and Lucy loves her new school. I, uh, just wanted to give you a call and see how everything's going back in Vegas. I've been thinking a lot about the team. I miss you guys. I miss all the years we worked together and the family we formed. I miss Warrick, too. It's been two years now and a day doesn't go by I don't think about him. I guess just give me a call. Ok, bye."<em>

* * *

><p>Nick stared at the new DNA tech in his lab across the hall. He was tall and slender with spiky hair that stuck out in every direction. Nick watched as he moved with a certain grace and rhythm with his work. He had dark brown hair, caramel colored eyes, and a quirky smile. He wore the strangest shirts and played loud rock music while he worked. On the left side of his mouth under his lip was a small circular scar. He had told Nick that he used to have his lip pierced, along with a ring set between his nostrils, but he did away with them in hopes of appearing more professional, which Nick joked wasn't possible in his case. He was strange, different, and a little unusual. But there was something about this lab rat that caught Nick's attention.<p>

"Hey Nicky," Warrick said, bringing Nick back to reality, "If you're not going to ask the new DNA tech out on a date stop drooling and get back to work."

Nick gave him a measured look. "I'm not drooling."

"Yeah you are," Warrick teased, "I practically had to swim to the other side of the room."

Nick looked at him and shook his head. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Seriously man, if you've got the hots for him just ask him out." Warrick said, "I mean come on, we've been best friends for years. You can tell me these things."

"Warrick I'm not gay," Nick said, "I mean that was a girl I slept with last week. You saw the evidence. I almost got canned because of it."

"I'm not saying you're gay Nicky," Warrick said, "I'm saying that sometimes you can fall for someone of the same sex. It happens sometimes."

"Has it ever happened to you?" Nick asked, a little irritated to be having this conversation.

"Yeah, actually it has," Warrick said. Nick looked at his friend shocked. "I was in college and there was this guy that I developed feelings for," Warrick explained, "But I didn't want to admit it because I didn't want to be labeled as gay. I talked to my grandma about it and she told me I should tell him because maybe there was a chance that he would feel the same. She said the worse that could happen is he never speaks to me again and if that happened then he wasn't worth my time being friends with. So I mustarded up the courage and decided I was going to tell him." Warrick got quiet and stared at a beaker on the lab table.

"What happened?" Nick asked.

"He died that day," Warrick said, "There was an explosion in the chem. lab and thirteen people were injured. He was the only one that died though. I never got the chance to tell him." Warrick turned away for a moment and sniffed as he rubbed his eyes. He looked back at Nick and gave him a reassuring look. "Just talk to him Nicky, ask him he wants to hang out sometime with us at the bar. I'll go along so it doesn't have to be awkward."

Nick stood there for a moment, reconsidering his options. "Alright, I'll ask him if he wants to get some drinks with us sometime."

Warrick smiled and clapped Nick on the shoulder. "That's my boy! Go ask him right now, quick go before someone else steals him away!"

Nick chuckled and shook his head. He walked towards the door of the lab. He stopped and brushed off his lab coat and ran his hand through his short hair. He turned and looked back at Warrick with a worried expression on his face. "Rick, what's his name?"

Warrick chuckled at his friend's nervousness and smiled. "Greg, his name is Greg Sanders."

* * *

><p>Warrick and Nick laughed about Grissom's rage with the bloater case they had been working on with him.<p>

"And then David's just sitting there covered in liquefied human insides and he looks at Grissom, who's also covered in the de-comp goo, and he barely mumbles 'Sorry.'" Nick explained to Greg.

Greg looked at him and smiled shyly. "He popped a body while trying to drain it so it wouldn't explode in the van on the way to the lab?" he asked.

"Yeah and Grissom was pissed!" Warrick exclaimed, dragging out the last word in his sentence for emphasis. "I don't think I've ever seen him so mad!"

"I probably have," Greg muttered, "He seems to get mad at me everyday for something."

"Hey don't let it get you down G," Nick said, "Grissom's a tough customer. You've just got to know how to butter him up." Greg smiled at him. Nick noticed the tops of his ears turn a crimson color and he smiled back at him.

"Well I don't know about you two," Warrick interrupted, "But I'm ready to head home."

"What three beers your limit now Rick?" Nick teased.

"When I have to be at work in five hours yes it is." Warrick declared, "Did you guys want to get a taxi or did you drive?"

"Yeah, I hitched a ride here figuring we'd be tanked by the time we left." Nick said, "How about you, G?"

"I don't have a car right now," Greg said, "So I took the bus." Nick could detect the slight embarrassment in Greg's voice as he spoke. He had a feeling Greg was a little tight on cash.

"Well why don't we share a cab?" Nick suggested, "Where you do live?"

"Well I'm actually going to check into a hotel," Greg explained, "My apartment complex is being fumed for brown recluse spiders."

Nick hissed and shook his head. "Damn, those buggers are nasty. Just don't tell Grissom or he might try to save them."

Greg smiled and chuckled lightly. He looked at Nick and then diverted his eyes. Nick smiled at him and a thought struck him. "Why don't you spend the night at my place, G?"

Greg looked at him surprised. "Really?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders and slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, it would be cheaper than a hotel."

"Are you sure?" Greg hesitantly asked.

"Well as long as you don't make fun of my decorating skills."

"Which are non-existent!" Warrick exclaimed.

Nick rolled his eyes and playfully shoved him as they walked towards the door. "Whatever man," he muttered.

They stood on the sidewalk and Nick hailed down a cab. Warrick watched Greg climb in and stopped before he did. "You know it would actually be really redundant for me to ride with you guys," Warrick said, "You know because I live in the opposite direction than you, Nicky."

Nick gave him a measured look and then understood what Warrick was getting at. "Yeah, makes sense. We'll see you at work Saturday, Rick."

"Yeah, give me a call though later," Warrick said with a wink, "I think we've got some catching up to do."

Nick climbed into the back of the cab with Greg, who looked at him confused. "Why would Warrick need to call you if you guys work together almost everyday?"

Nick shook his head and waved him off. "Don't worry about it," he said, "There are just some things we don't like talking about at work."

Nick led Greg into his apartment, embarrassingly kicking a pair of boxers under the couch he hadn't realized he had left out. Greg looked around, examining everything.

"I like your place," Greg said, "It's very…you."

"Really?" Nick inquired, "What is that exactly?"

"You know, robust, durable, yet comfortable." Greg looked at him and smiled. A blush formed on his cheeks as he looked away from Nick

Nick walked over to him. He gently placed his hand on Greg's cheek and looked into his caramel colored eyes. He leaned in slightly and let his nose graze along the bridge of Greg's. "You feel it too," Greg whispered. Nick nodded his head. "Yeah, I do."

"Have you ever been with a man Nicky?" Greg asked as he slowly placed his hands on Nick's hips.

Nick shook his head. "I've never felt like this about a man before you, G." he whispered, "What about you?"

"I've dated a few guys, but all we did was kiss and I gave head a few times but nothing serious."

Nick ran his other hand through Greg's hair and brought his face closer, their lips almost brushing against each other. "Do you want this Greg?"

Greg nodded his head. "Yes, I want you Nicky. I want you inside me. I want you to be my first time with a man. I've never wanted a man like I want you Nick."

Nick closed the distance and gently kissed Greg. His lips were soft and supple. They weren't rough but they didn't have the delicate feeling like a woman's. "You'll have to teach me Greg," Nick whispered, "I'm really out of my element here."

"It's ok Nicky," Greg said, sliding his hands into Nick's back pockets, "I'll help you."

* * *

><p>Warrick smiled at Nick Saturday night when he walked into the locker room. "You got in, didn't you?" he playfully asked.<p>

"Geez when you say it that way you make it sound like it's some kind of exclusive club," Nick said with a laugh. "But yes, I guess you could say I got in…again and again all night long."

Warrick laughed and jabbed Nick in the arm a few times. "I told you man!" he exclaimed, "I told you it would work!"

* * *

><p>Nick sat there on his couch crying. Warrick rubbed his back and tried to comfort him. "I'm sorry Nicky," he said as his voice cracked, "I'm so sorry about Matthew."<p>

"It's ok Rick," Nick whispered, "You weren't the one who beat him with the baseball bat."

"Did they tell you what exactly happened?" Warrick quietly asked.

"He was at a bar and confided with another man that he was gay." Nick explained, "The guy told him he was also gay and asked Matthew to hang out with him and his friends. But he wasn't gay. They were members of some anti-gay homophobic group. They invited him home with them and when they got there they started beating him. They hit him with baseball bats, rocks, and even threw a few lamps at him. Anything hard or heavy they could find they hit him with. Then they dragged his body out to the woods and dumped it. But Matthew wasn't dead. They didn't find his body for almost four days after he was reported missing. They don't know how long he was alive, lying there in pain."

Nick sobbed and buried his face into his hands. Warrick continued to rub his shoulders and cried with him. "I'm so sorry Nicky," he whispered again.

"Yeah but you know what, joke's on them." Nick said, "Matthew tested positive for HIV twice in the last six months. All four of them now have HIV because his blood transferred into their eyes, and you know the prison isn't going to provide them adequate care like a specialist would. So they're going to suffer a long and painful road to the electric chair. Dumb fuckers!" Nick kicked the coffee table and a picture frame fell off.

Warrick reached down and picked it up. The glass had cracked across Nick and Greg's happy faces. Warrick's thumb brushed over the crack on Greg's face and he sighed. "Have you told your parents about Greg yet?"

Nick shook his head. "No, but I need to now. I need them to know Matthew isn't the only one."

* * *

><p>"A safe place foundation?" Warrick speculated, "You want to start a safe place for homosexuals?"<p>

"Not just homosexuals Rick," Nick explained, "For anyone who feels threatened; homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals, heterosexuals, anyone who needs help. I want to do this for Matthew. I don't want my brother to die in vain. I want to honor him for the incredible person he was. My little brother was my idol because he proudly declared he was gay and he lived his life the way he wanted, not the way the government told him he had to. He was the first person, besides you, I told I was dating Greg."

Warrick smiled at Nick. "Alright, a safe place. What are you going to call it?"

"The Matthew Stokes Memorial Safe Place for Homosexual, Bisexual, or Transgendered Individuals," Nick said.

Warrick laughed and shook his head. "Man, Nicky that title's way too long. You've got to make it a _little_ shorter."

Nick stood there and thought it over. "Uh, I don't know then."

"What about The Stokes Memorial Safe Place?" Warrick proposed, "Short, sweet, and to the point."

Nick smiled for the first time since his brother died and Warrick smiled back. "Yeah, I think I like it. The Stokes Memorial Safe Place it is then."

* * *

><p>Nick and Warrick watched the news on the TV. They were at Warrick's house, drinking beer and playing video games. Warrick had just turned on the TV when a breaking news story came on. Same sex marriage had been legalized in Massachusetts and now hundreds of same sex couples were flying into the state to get married.<p>

Warrick punched Nick in the arm and Nick recoiled and stared at him. "What?"

"You need to ask Greg," Warrick said.

"Ask him what?" Nick asked confused.

"Ask him to marry you!" Warrick exclaimed.

"Marry me?" Nick responded.

"No, not me, ask Greg!"

"I know who you meant!" Nick snapped.

"Then ask him!" Warrick pressed on, "Ask him to marry you and go to Massachusetts and get married!"

"I don't think so Warrick," Nick said as he shook his head.

"Why not?" Warrick asked, "You've been dating for four years, you love him, why not?"

"I don't think now is the time," Nick responded, drinking his beer.

"But how long is this going to last?" Warrick pushed on, "You don't know what those crazies in the Massachusetts legislation are going to do. They might revoke this bill. You could miss your chance!"

Nick thought it over for a second. "You're right," Nick said, "This could be my only chance. Alright, I'll propose, but on one condition Rick."

"What's that?" Warrick asked.

"You have to help me pick out our wedding rings."

* * *

><p>"Do it man!" Warrick exclaimed, "You would make a great father!"<p>

Nick sighed and shook his head. "I don't know," he quietly muttered.

"Nicky, listen to me," Warrick said, "Greg's found the perfect little girl for you guys to adopt. You guys need to do this."

"But Warrick, it's going to be so difficult raising a baby with our schedule."

"You guys will work something out," Warrick encouraged, "You can get a nanny, stagger your days off, hell I'll watch the little shit flinger if you need me to. Come on Nick do it!"

Nick sighed and shook his head. "Alright, I'll tell Greg to call the social worker."

Warrick laughed excitedly and punched Nick's arm. "Yeah Nicky!"

She was so tiny with a mass of black hair. She wriggled in Nick's arms and he was sure his heart skipped a few beats. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked down at his new baby girl in his arms. She wasn't biologically his but it just felt right that she belonged to him now.

Nick looked at Warrick, standing across from him at the crib in the nursery. "My god," Nick quietly said, "She's perfect."

Warrick chuckled and watched Nick and his new baby. "She's so beautiful Nicky."

"So, how do I look?" Nick asked, smiling brightly as he held the little baby tightly.

Warrick smiled and chuckled. "Just like a new dad should," he said.

"What's that?" Nick inquired.

"Scared shitless, naïve, and a little green," Warrick said with a smile, "But you and Greg are going to make this work. This is your baby, she was meant to be your daughter. That's why destiny brought you guys together."

"That and her amazing Godfather for kicking me in the ass to go through with this." Nick said with a smile.

A giant grin played across Warrick's face. "I'm her Godfather?"

"Yeah, who did you think we were going to pick, Hodges?"

Warrick laughed and punched Nick in the arm playfully. "Hey buddy," Nick said, "You can't do that anymore, I'm a dad now."

* * *

><p>Nick watched as Warrick's coffin was lowered into the ground. Tears streamed down his face as he watched his best friend disappear forever. Greg squeezed his hand and leaned his head against Nick's. "I'm sorry Nicky," he whispered. Nick silently nodded his head, his eyes never leaving the sight of Warrick's coffin. Nick wrapped his arm around Greg's shoulders. He looked at their young daughter encased in Greg's arms. Lucy was two years old with bright eyes and an even brighter smile, but she wasn't smiling today. She looked up at Nick with her large green eyes. She reached her small hand up and brushed away a tear from Nick's cheek. "I love you Pa-pa," she quietly said. Nick smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, too, Lucy-Lou."<p>

* * *

><p>Greg's hands wandered across Nick's bare chest and down to his hips. He gently guided him to lay down on the bed and straddled his legs on either side of Nick's hips. Nick moaned quietly as a small tear ran down his cheek.<br>"Nicky, what's wrong?" Greg asked.  
>"Nothing Greg," Nick quietly muttered.<p>

"Nicky," Greg whispered.

"I'm sorry Greg," Nick quietly said, "I just…I was just thinking about how amazing the last eleven years has been and it's all thanks to Warrick. I owe him so much and now I'm leaving him behind. I'm leaving him in a hole in the ground to move to Miami because some thoughtless undersheriff thinks we're detrimental to the lab."

Greg stopped and looked into Nick's eyes. He leaned down and kissed him gently. Greg placed his hand over Nick's heart. "You're not leaving him behind Nicky, he'll always be with us, no matter where we go."

Nick placed his hand over Greg's as the tears flowed down his face and he sobbed. He squeezed Greg's hand and cried for what seemed forever. Greg pulled Nick into his arms and held him as he cried over the loss of his friend, the town they had called home for so long, and the life that friend had helped them create.

* * *

><p>Nick sat on the back porch of his Miami house. Lucy lay sleeping on his chest as he watched the sunset. He took a long drink of his beer and looked out at the vast city he now called home. He heard the door click and looked to see Greg walking out of the house. He sat in the lounge chair next to Nick's and held his hand.<p>

"Hey babe," Nick quietly said, "You're home early."

Greg shrugged. "We closed the case early," Greg said. He looked at Nick excitedly and smiled brightly. "Guess what Nicky!"

Nick chuckled and smiled at Greg's excitement. "Ok, I'll bite. What?"

"Horatio said that next month I can apply for a field proficiency placement test!" Greg eagerly said, "I get to test to go back out into the field! I can be a CSI again!"

Nick smiled and leaned over and kissed him. "That's great! Congratulations G, I'm so excited for you!"

Greg looked at him and ran his fingers through his hair. "You're thinking about Warrick, aren't you?"

Nick looked at him slightly gloomily. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well it's the anniversary of his death," Greg quietly said. "I know you remember these things better than I do, but that day will always remain in my memory." Greg sniffed as his eyes watered. "The pain you went through was horrendous and seeing you in that pain hurt me so much. Warrick was my friend and he supported my decisions, but he was your best friend and he's the one who pushed you through out your life and the reason we're together now. I owe him so much and I never really got to thank him for it."

Nick watched Greg with his own watering eyes. He squeezed Greg's hand. He stood from the chair and carried Lucy in his arms as he led Greg through their house. He gingerly placed Lucy in her bed and looked at his daughter.

Nick and Greg held hands as they walked to their bedroom. Nick gently kissed Greg and held him close against his body. "I love you G," Nick said, "I think I've loved you since that day you wandered into the lab, wearing those stupid shirts with that weird Mohawk thing in your hair looking so lost."

Greg chuckled as his nose ran along the bridge of Nick's. "I love you, too, Nicky. I'm so glad you listened to Warrick all those years ago. I can't imagine my life without you."

Nick kissed him and guided him to the bed. "Let's make love G," Nick whispered, "Let's make love like that first night we were together and our souls were united forever."

Greg kissed him tenderly and pressed his body against Nick's. "Please Nicky, I love you."

"And it's all because of Warrick," Nick whispered.

Greg smiled against his lips. "Then this orgasm I'm about to give you is for Warrick."

Nick laughed loudly and kissed Greg passionately. "Alright, if that's what you want to do. For Warrick."


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's a fun fact- every story I've ever written involving Horatio, including my stand alones, my Jessica/Ryan series, and my Arianna/Horatio series, Horatio lives in the same house and owns the same cars.**

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><p>'<em>I hate waiting, Greg. –Ryan'<em>

* * *

><p>Ryan fidgeted uneasily in the chair outside his lawyer's office. Shania Hansen would be representing him as he filed for a divorce from his wife.<p>

It had been an explosive night when Ryan had finally told Khandice he knew about her real career. She didn't see what was wrong with it and didn't understand why Ryan was so mad. Ryan explained to her that she was cheating on him and Khandice blew it off. After several hours of fighting Ryan finally packed his bags, collected Olivia and her things, and left his house. He drove around for an hour trying to decide what to do before he finally found himself standing outside of Horatio's house. Horatio's sleep filled eyes were shocked at the sight of Ryan standing on his doorstep at two in the morning but he didn't ask questions and instead led him into his guest bedroom.

When Ryan woke up the next morning Horatio had made him and Olivia breakfast. They sat and talked over their coffee while Olivia explored Horatio's house.

"I'm sorry to do this to you H," Ryan said, "I just felt like I had no where else to turn."

"Ryan I may have not been there like I should have all these years," Horatio said, "But I'm your father and you're my son and you need me right now. I know things are still weird between us but I want to help you in anyway I can. If that means letting you stay in my house until this divorce is over then so be it."

Ryan walked out of Horatio's house and discovered his Jetta was gone. He sighed and stood there, staring at the place it had previously occupied in Horatio's driveway. Horatio appeared at his side and held out a set of keys. Ryan accepted them and looked at the keys in his hand.  
>"You'll look more impressive pulling up in an Audi than a Jeep," was all Horatio said as he walked into his house.<p>

Ryan saw Khandice walking down the hall with her lawyer, no doubt someone her producer had provided. He watched her walk right past him without even acknowledging him.  
>"You took my car," Ryan said in an angry tone. Khandice turned and looked at him with a dismayed expression. "You took my wedding ring," she replied before she turned and continued on her path. "Besides, you got here just fine."<p>

* * *

><p>Ryan and Shania sat on one side of the table in the judge's chamber while Khandice and Rodger Smith sat on the other. Judge Iddings over saw the meeting as the lawyers decided who got what.<p>

"Ms. Penny," Rodger said, using Khandice's maiden name, "Is willing to allow Mr. Wolfe to have his half of their savings account, that being the money he's earned over the past four years, but not exceeding his salary. She's also willing to return his car if he's willing to let her keep the house."

Shania and Ryan quietly discussed the matter between their selves before Shania responded for Ryan. "Mr. Wolfe is willing to agree to those terms if he's also allowed to have Maxx."

"That stupid mutt?" Khandice said, "You can have the slobber face."

"Alright so it's agreed," Judge Iddings said, "Ms. Penny gets the house and her vehicle, Mr. Wolfe gets the money from his salary from the last four years, his vehicle, and the dog. Now, where does Olivia go?"

"I want her," Khandice quickly stated, "A daughter needs her mother."

"Bullshit," Ryan exclaimed, "You only want her for the tax deductible!"

"Mr. Wolfe please control your temper," Judge Iddings calmly said as he jotted down some notes on his legal pad. "There will be no foul language in my chambers."

"Sorry your honor," Ryan quietly said.

"Mr. Wolfe why should you be granted custody of your daughter?" Judge Iddings asked.

"Because I'm the one who takes care of her," Ryan said. "I wake her up in the morning, I make her breakfast, I pack her lunch, I drive her to school, I give up an hours pay to go pick her up and take her to my parent's house for the afternoon until I get home from work and pick her back up at my parent's and then take her back home, make her dinner, help her with homework, and then tuck her in at night. Then I wake up the next morning and do it all over again."

"I don't see how that qualifies you to have custody," Khandice sneered at him, "I could do that too if you'd let me."

"Well that's a little hard to do when you're in Europe for nine weeks Khandice." Ryan snidely responded, "You can't take her with you on a 'business' trip."

"Is Olivia Wolfe here today?" Judge Iddings asked.

"No, she's with my father," Ryan said.

"You mean the man who paid for you to be his son?" Khandice mocked.

"No, I mean the man who created me," Ryan retorted, "You would know I found my biological father if you would pay attention every once in a while Khandi."

Khandice looked at him shocked. "You found your birth father?"

"And my half brother. Turns out I've been working for my father for seven years now."

Khandice covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes grew huge. "Oh my god, you really found them?"

Ryan could see she was genuinely surprised. "Yeah I did."

"Mr. Wolfe would it be possible to bring in your daughter?" Judge Iddings interrupted.

"Yes you honor," Ryan said, pulling out his cell phone, "I can call Lieutenant Caine right now and have him bring her in."

Judge Iddings looked at him surprised. "Lieutenant Caine is your birth father? Well by all means call that crazy ginger and get that little girl in here! I haven't seen that bastard in years!"

"I thought you said no foul language in your chambers," Ryan said with a sly grin as he listened to his phone ring against his ear.

Judge Iddings laughed and shook his head. "Well in the case of Horatio Caine's son I can make an exception."

* * *

><p>Horatio walked into the Judge's chambers holding Olivia's hand. She was wearing a white dress with blue and green flowers on it that Ryan had never seen before. Her blue eyes were huge and she seemed frightened. When she stopped and tried to hide behind Horatio's legs Horatio knelt to the floor and whispered to her. That's when Ryan saw it. Olivia's eyes were the exact same shade of blue as Horatio's. His chest tightened but he smiled as he watched Horatio talk to his granddaughter.<p>

Horatio carried Olivia over to the table where the over five were seated. He pulled a chair up next to Ryan and sat down with Olivia in his lap.

"Lieutenant Caine," Judge Iddings said, extending his hand, "It's been awhile."

"I would think that's a good thing Judge," Horatio said with a smile as he shook his hand. "I hope you don't mind if I sit in on this meeting. My granddaughter is frightened and says she wants me to stay."

Judge Iddings smiled at Horatio and looked at the small child in his lap. "Of course, anything for the granddaughter of the distinguished Lieutenant Caine." He looked at Olivia and smiled. "Hi sweetheart, what's your name?"

Olivia recoiled and buried her face into Horatio's chest. "It's ok Olivia," Horatio whispered, "You can talk to him."  
>"But Daddy says never to talk to strangers," Olivia whispered.<br>"Well you can trust Judge Iddings, I've known him for a very long time."  
>Olivia looked up at him with her big blue eyes. "Ok Grandpa," she whispered. It warmed Ryan's heart to hear those words and he smiled as he watched his daughter turn to face the judge.<p>

"My name's Olivia Wolfe and I want to live with my Daddy," Olivia firmly stated.

Judge Iddings chuckled and smiled at her. "You're a very determined little girl, but unfortunately that's not quite how it works. I need to ask you some questions Olivia."

Olivia looked at him and Ryan could see the disappointment on her face. "Ok," she whispered.

"Olivia, do you like living with your parents?" Judge Iddings asked.

Olivia thought it over and looked at him. "I like living with my Daddy, he takes really good care of me."

"What about your mother?" Judge Iddings prompted.

Olivia hesitated but answered his question. "I don't like living with her." Olivia quietly said, "She's not as nice as Daddy."

"How so?" Judge Iddings prompted her.

"She doesn't like to play like Daddy does and the food she makes is yucky. She never takes me to school and she doesn't care about me. She wanted to make me go away when I was a baby but Daddy wouldn't let her."

"What do you mean Olivia?" Judge Iddings inquired.

"She wanted to do something when she was pregnant so I would go away."

Ryan hesitated but chimed in. "What Olivia's trying to say is Khandice wanted to get an abortion but I wouldn't consent. She did finally agree to not have the abortion and carry Olivia full term."

"Olivia how do you know this?" Judge Iddings inquired.

"Because I heard Mommy talking to one of the men she works for." Olivia quietly said, "She told him she didn't want to have a baby but Daddy made her. Then she used all their money to have surgery so it wouldn't look like she had a baby."

"Olivia is there anything else your mother does that you don't like?" Judge Iddings asked.

"Yeah, she brings strange men to our house and kisses them and touches them." Olivia said, "I don't think Daddy knows she does it either. She's not supposed to because she and Daddy are married and married people can only kiss each other."

Judge Iddings looked at Olivia with soft caring eyes. "Olivia have you ever seen your Daddy do anything like that?"

Ryan felt his heart stop with a thud. He tried to remain calm as he remembered the day he kissed Samantha and Olivia had watched them. He knew what Olivia would say. He knew she would tell the truth, just like he always told her to do.

Olivia looked at the Judge with her large blue eyes. She slowly shook her head. "No, Daddy's never done anything like that. She doesn't bring other women home and kiss them."

Judge Iddings smiled and wrote something on his legal pad. "Alright, I believe I have enough information to make my decision. Counselors I would like to have a meeting with you alone. Mr. Wolfe, Ms. Penny, Lieutenant Caine you are excused but don't leave the building. I will have my decision within the hour.

* * *

><p>Ryan walked with Olivia through the courthouse holding her hand. They were alone on the fourth floor, where the courtrooms were located. Ryan knelt before Olivia and smiled at her.<br>"Ozzie, I need to ask you something," he said.  
>"What is it Daddy?" Olivia asked.<p>

"Why didn't you tell Judge Iddings you saw me kiss Miss Samantha?"

Olivia stared at him and Ryan could see her thoughts processing through her eyes. "He asked me if you ever did what Mommy did. You've never brought other women home so you didn't do what Mommy did. He never asked me if you kissed Miss Samantha outside of our house."

Ryan smiled and chuckled lightly. He kissed her forehead and pulled her in for a hug. "You are so mischievous sometimes. You've been hanging out with Lucy too much."

Olivia smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you Daddy," she whispered.

Ryan kissed her cheek and smiled into her hair. "I love you, too, Ozzie."

"Daddy, don't let them take me away. Don't let the Judge make me live with Mommy. I want to stay with you and Maxx and Grandpa Horatio and Grandma Taylor and Grandpa Daniel. I don't want to live with Mommy. She forgot my birthday last year."

Ryan felt tears form in his eyes and let them fall into Olivia's hair. "You're not going anywhere Ozzie, not on my watch."

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes after they were excused Judge Iddings called Ryan and Khandice back into his chambers.<br>"I've made my decision," Judge Iddings said as he stood before them. "In the case of Wolfe v. Penny in the custody of Olivia Wolfe I grant custody to," he smiled and looked towards Ryan, "Officer Ryan Wolfe."

Ryan felt himself release a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He dropped to his knees and pulled Olivia into his arms as his eyes watered. He stood and held Olivia tightly in his arms.

Khandice stood there and glared at him. "I want my car back then," she sneered.

"You can keep your fucking car!" Ryan declared, "I never liked it anyways!"

* * *

><p>Greg and Nick walked into Horatio's house with Lucy. They smiled and hugged Ryan as they congratulated him. Olivia and Lucy hugged and danced around the kitchen, Lucy adoring Olivia's new dress.<br>"It's so pretty!" Lucy exclaimed, running around Olivia so she could see it from every angle.  
>"Thank you, Grandpa bought it for me!" Olivia said with a twirl.<p>

"You bought Olivia a new dress just for today?" Ryan asked Horatio.

Horatio shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Well her father didn't do such a great job packing, all her clothes were wrinkled and she really didn't have anything nice enough for a custody battle."

"You bought her a dress because you didn't like the clothes I bought her," Ryan jokingly said.

Horatio chuckled and shook his head. "I have to admit I've always wanted a daughter."

Ryan smiled and hugged him. "Thanks Dad," he whispered in Horatio's ear.

"Lucy Sanders-Stokes," Nick said, "Where are your clothes?"

Ryan looked to see Lucy and Olivia standing in the kitchen in just their underwear. They looked at Ryan and Nick with stunned faces. "I just wanted to try on Olivia's dress," Lucy practically whispered.

Nick laughed and scooped them both into his arms, grabbing their clothes off the floor. "Well why don't we do this upstairs instead of the kitchen?" Nick asked with a laugh. He carried them from the room and out of sight.

Greg and Ryan watched and laughed at their daughters. "Impressive," Greg said, "Horatio found a dress even my little tomboy will wear. Kudos to you _Dad_."

Horatio smiled and pulled them both into his arms. "Thank you _son_," he quietly replied.

* * *

><p>Ryan walked towards the jewelry store, rings in hand. He stopped outside the door looked at the gold rings in his hand. His wedding band was simple; gold with diamonds circling around the center. Khandice's engagement ring was a little fancier. It wasn't the original ring Ryan had bought her. The first one had been a simple gold ring with a half caret diamond, but after Khandice accepted she went out and bought a new one, one she felt was more appropriate for her. It was gold with three large one caret diamonds and several smaller diamonds around them. Her wedding band matched Ryan's but smaller and more feminine. Khandice had paid for the rings herself before they combined their bank accounts. Ryan didn't want them anymore though. They were from a marriage he almost wished had never happened.<p>

Ryan walked into the store and wandered around for a while, looking at displays and listening to people talk. He was about to stop a clerk to ask about selling the rings when something caught his ear.

A young couple was standing at the counter looking at rings. The woman was wearing a beautiful yet simple diamond ring on her left hand. She held it up and watched the light dance off it. She smiled at the young man and he nodded his head.  
>"How much is it?" he asked the clerk behind the counter.<br>"$548.67," the clerk answered, "With the wedding bands that would bring your total up to $798."

The young man's face grew grim and he looked at the woman with sad eyes. She nodded her head and slowly removed the ring and placed it back in it's box. "I think we're going to look around a few other stores first," the young man said. "We might be back later sometime."

The clerk smiled and nodded his head, placing the ring back in the display. "Well it'll be waiting for you," he said with a smile, even though he knew they weren't coming back.

Ryan stood there for a moment and watched them leave. He looked down at the rings in his hand. He quickly followed them down out of the store and called out to them. "Hey, wait up!"

The couple turned and looked at him confused. Ryan stopped in front of them and caught his breath. "Um, I just saw you in the store and I was wondering if you'd like to buy my wedding rings instead," Ryan awkwardly explained.

The young man looked at him and gave Ryan a disgusted look. "Of course, help the charity case."

"No, that's not it at all!" Ryan quickly tried to explain, "It's just," he sighed, trying to find the words he was looking for, "It's just that I just went through a really rough divorce. I found out my wife cheated on me multiple times and our marriage was pretty much a fake. She bought these rings for us and I don't want them. You two look like you really love each other and that's who deserves to have rings like these, people who _are_ in love."

The man gave Ryan a measured look and then looked back at his girlfriend. She looked at him and then at Ryan. "Can we see them?" she quietly asked.

Ryan nodded his head and held out his hand. "I'm sorry they don't have a box, I think my ex-wife threw it out."

The young woman's eyes grew twice in size at the sight of the rings. They shined brightly in the Miami sun and she looked at her boyfriend. "Please Jim, can we get them?"

The young man looked at Ryan. "How much?" he asked.

"For you…" Ryan thought it over, "Free." He said as he placed the rings in the young man's hand.

He looked at Ryan shocked with his mouth gapping open. "You're giving them to us?"

Ryan smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, why not? I didn't pay for them." he said with a laugh.

The man smiled at Ryan and looked back at his girlfriend. He dropped to his knee and held up the large engagement ring. "Tori, will you marry me?"

The young woman squealed and jumped up and down. "Yes, yes, yes!" she cried as she wrapped her arms around him.

Ryan watched the young couple and felt his heart swell. He smiled at them as the young man shook his hand. "Thank you sir, you have no idea what this means to us!"

Ryan squeezed his hand and smiled. "You know I probably don't, but I'm willing to pretend I do."

**The main reason I had Ryan give his old wedding rings away, instead of cashing them in, was actually because I felt it was a very Horatio thing to do, and, in this case, since Horatio is Ryan's father I thought it would be fun to show how there's a little bit of Horatio in Ryan.**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is another chapter with some suggestive material, but nothing too dirty.**

* * *

><p>'<em>Damn you Nick!'<em>

'_Hey I'm just the wingman, you did that all by yourself Wolfe.'_

* * *

><p>Ryan walked through the halls of the school. He stopped and looked at Samantha talking to another parent. Then he <em>really<em> looked at her. She had long blonde hair with bright green eyes. She wasn't very tall but had a slender figure and nice curves. She had a mass of freckles speckling under her eyes and across her nose and her skin was a golden tan color.

Ryan sighed and looked down at his pants. "Down boy," he muttered to himself.

"Are you talking to your erection?" Ryan jumped and turned to see Nick walking towards him Nick laughed and clapped him on the back. "Nothing wrong with it man," Nick said with a smile, "I would just suggest not doing it in public."

Ryan rolled his eyes and looked back towards Samantha. He smiled as he felt his heart thud inside his chest.

"Go for it Ryan," Nick quietly said.

"For what?" Ryan asked, faking confusion.

"Her," Nick said with a jerk of his head, "Miss Samantha's hot!"

"I thought you were gay," Ryan retorted with a smirk.

"Well not exactly, I never liked men until I met Greggo. I still like to look at women but Greg's the only one for me. It's just easier sometimes to just tell people I'm gay then to try and explain that the only man I've ever felt attracted to was my husband."

"You don't like other men?" Ryan curiously inquired.

Nick shook his head. "No, I've never felt attracted to another man. My best friend, Warrick, tried to take me to a male strip club one time for fun and we both were equally winged out."

Ryan chuckled and shook his head. "So you're only gay for Greg."

Nick laughed and clapped him on the back again. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." Nick looked towards Samantha and then back at Ryan. "I'll be your wingman. I'll go in and warm her up for you and then you drop the bomb."

"What bomb?" Ryan asked confused.

"I don't know, you figure it out," Nick said as he walked away.

Ryan hid behind the door and watched Nick walk over to Samantha. He couldn't hear what Nick was saying and his back was to him but Ryan could tell by Samantha's expression that Nick was telling her something that deeply concerned her. Ryan ducked out of sight so she couldn't see him and slowly became to panic. His phone chirped and he found a text from Nick waiting for him. 'Alright, I warmed her up. Now go in and ask her out!'

Ryan sighed heavily and stood there in his hiding place. His phone chirped again and he found another text from Nick. 'Damn it Wolfe, don't make me go straight on her!' Ryan scoffed and rolled his eyes. He walked into the classroom and quickly found Olivia. He jetted over to her but Nick gave him a stern look and shook his head, jerking it towards Samantha. Ryan ignored him and continued on his path to his daughter.

Ryan knelt before Olivia and started talking to her about her day. He lifted her into his arms and began to leave the classroom when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Ryan turned to see Samantha standing behind him, a worried smile on her face.

"Ryan, how are you?" she gently asked him.

Ryan offered her a weak smile. "I'm good," he quickly responded.

"Ryan, I'm sorry but Nick told me about the divorce." Samantha quietly explained, "And I just want you to know if there's anything you or Olivia need to please give me a call."

Ryan stared into her green eyes and felt butterflies form in his stomach. "Um, yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

"And Ryan," Samantha said as she stopped him again, grabbing his left hand, "I'm really glad you won sole custody of Olivia."

Ryan smiled at her and felt the tips of his ears turn red. "Uh, thanks Samantha that really means a lot to me." She smiled at him and Ryan felt her thumb graze over the empty spot on his ring finger. "Do you want to go out this weekend?" Ryan suddenly blurted out. His eyes widened and his ears burned red as he shocked even himself with his question.

Samantha smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Yes, I think I would love to. How about Saturday night? Does that work for you?"

Ryan smiled shyly and nodded his head. "Yeah, that works for me. Can I pick up at say…seven?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Samantha eagerly said. "I'll be waiting for you." She said with a smile as she walked away.

Ryan stood there and watched her walk over to another parent. She talked to them but looked over at Ryan and smiled before she turned back to the other parent.

Ryan walked outside and buckled Olivia into her booster seat in Horatio's Jeep he was borrowing. He walked over to the driver's side and opened the door. Before he climbed in he jumped up and down in excitement muttering "Yes, yes, yes!" under his breathe.

As he drove back to Horatio's house, where he was staying until he found another place to live, Olivia chimed up. "Daddy, do I have to go with you to play with Miss Samantha?"

Ryan chuckled and shook his head. "No sweetie, this date's just for Daddy and Miss Samantha."

"Daddy, is Miss Samantha going to become my new Mommy?"

Ryan smiled at her in the rearview mirror. "Well if you want her to be I can try and make that happen."

Olivia cheered and threw her hands up in the air. "Yes!" she loudly declared.

* * *

><p>Ryan and Samantha walked along the coastline together. She had directed him there after they ate their dinner. She told him about a cave she had found that could only be reached by swimming under the water.<p>

"Its right over here!" she exclaimed as she ran over to a large natural pool. "You have to swim through here, then under this section, and then you're there! Do you want to see it?"

"Well I think I would like to but I didn't bring my swim trunks." Ryan answered, "Maybe some other time."

"Lame!" Samantha declared as she pulled off her shoes and began untying the halter top of her dress. "Let's go now!"

Ryan watched as she dropped her dress to the ground and stood before him in just her panties and matching strapless bra. "Um, Samantha…" Ryan muttered, but before he could say anything else she unhooked her bra and slid her panties off. She quickly dove into the water and treaded in place, waiting for Ryan.

"Come on Ryan," she said, "The water's amazing." She dove back under the water and disappeared from sight.

Ryan stood there, his pants tightening and his heart racing. He looked around before he quickly shed himself of his clothing and laid them in a neat pile. He jumped in and swam in place for a moment before he dove under the water.

It was dark and Ryan couldn't see a thing. He felt along the wall until he found an opening. He rose back up to the surface, took in as large a breath as he could, and dove back under. The opening was wide and Ryan swam threw it. The walls seemed too close and he could feel the beginning of a panic attack when the space suddenly opened. He kicked his way to the surface and broke through the water. He opened his eyes and looked around.

There wasn't much light, the only source being provided through several holes in the ceiling of the cave. Ryan couldn't see Samantha anywhere and was beginning to worry when he suddenly felt something touch him. A hand wrapped around his hard member and Ryan gasped as Samantha surfaced in front of him.

"I meant to grab you that time," she seductively whispered as she leaned in and kissed him.

Ryan moaned softly as her hand ran up and down his length gently. "Samantha," he quietly gasped, "I've wanted this for so long."

"I know Ryan," she whispered, "I have too."

* * *

><p>Nick smiled at Ryan when he walked into the lab. Ryan returned the smile and shook his head.<p>

"You got in, didn't you?" Nick asked.  
>Ryan shook his head again and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say I got in."<br>Nick laughed and punched him in the arm. "That's my boy!"

**I thought it would be fun to have Nick use the same line on Ryan that Warrick used on him after Nick and Greg's first date.**


	18. Chapter 18

'_I'm officially no longer mad at you for being my wingman.'_

'_Good, you better be over it Wolfe because that was three months ago.'_

* * *

><p>Ryan and Samantha playfully ran through Samantha's townhouse. Samantha had stole Ryan's phone and was flipping through his text between him and Nick.<p>

"Nick was your wingman?" Samantha laughed, "You needed a wingman to ask me out on a date?"

"Oh shut up you," Ryan playfully retorted, "At least I wasn't copping a feel before we even started dating!"

"Hey I lost my balance!" Samantha exclaimed, "I can't help it if my face just so happen to be at penis level."

"Oh I'm going to penis level you!" Ryan said as he pinned her down on the couch. He smiled at her and passionately kissed her. He looked at her and felt tears form in his eyes and his throat tighten.

"What's wrong Ryan?" Samantha asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No," Ryan managed to choke out, "It's just…it's just that I just realized I love you and this is the first time in my life I've ever truly loved a woman."

Samantha's face lit up and her own tears formed. She kissed him tenderly and pulled him close against his body. "I love you, too, Ryan."

* * *

><p>Nick carried the last of Ryan's things out to Ryan's new green SUV. "So you're finally leaving the nest little bird?" he playfully asked as he watched Ryan and Greg struggle with a box out of Horatio's house.<p>

"Hey these things happen sometimes," Ryan said, "Don't tell me you never moved into your parent's house for a while when you were down on your luck."

"Nope I got the hell out of Dodge," Nick said with a laugh.

"Lies," Greg whispered to Ryan, "He moved back with his parents after he graduated college because he didn't get a job offer for six months."

"Hey now," Nick sarcastically said, pulling Greg into his arms, "Don't go spreading my secrets."

"Oh please, "Greg managed just before Nick's lips came crashing down onto his own.

Lucy and Olivia came running out of the house with Maxx screaming playfully as Horatio ran after them.  
>"Pa-Pa help!" Lucy shrieked as Horatio grabbed her, "Grandpa Horatio's got me!"<p>

"Oh no, not my baby!" Nick exclaimed, running towards them.

Greg and Ryan chuckled and laughed as they watched Horatio and Nick battle over Lucy, while Olivia and Maxx cheered on the sideline. Greg looked at Ryan and smiled.

"So you're moving in with the hot teacher?" Greg quietly asked.

Ryan smiled and his ears turned red. "Yeah, I am."

"So where are you guys going from here?"

Ryan sighed and looked back at his father and brother-in-law. "I don't know, for the first time in my life I'm running blind without a plan. I told Sam I needed somewhere to live and she offered me the chance to move in with her. So I figured why the hell not? Worse comes to worse I have to pack all my stuff up and do it again."

"Well hopefully she's not like my ex Don," Greg commented.

"How's that?" Ryan inquired.

"Well I came home to find all my possessions on the front law," Greg said with a sigh. "Donnie was a bit of a drama queen, the true stereotype of the homosexual man."

Ryan laughed and nudged his brother's shoulder. "Well hopefully Samantha isn't that dramatic."

Horatio walked over and leaned against Ryan's car, sneezing uncontrollably.

"Giving up the fight already Gramps?" Greg playfully asked.

"Yes, it's that damn dog," Horatio grumbled, rubbing at his watering eyes.

"Sorry H," Ryan said, "I didn't know you were allergic to dogs."

"Well it's better than letting that bimbo take Maxx," Horatio said, "I'd rather suffer for a few weeks then have him suffer for a lifetime."

Ryan chuckled and smiled at him. "Thanks Dad," he quietly said.

* * *

><p>Ryan and Olivia looked at the bubble gum machine at the restaurant. They were waiting for Horatio, Greg, Nick, and Lucy to get there and Olivia had asked Ryan if she could look at the toys in the machines. They were checking out a machine that dispensed mood rings with charms in the shape of animals while Samantha talked to the hostess.<p>

Ryan popped a quarter into the machine and turned the dial. He lifted the metal hatch and removed the clear plastic ball. "Sorry Ozzie, this one's a turtle. Let's try again."

"Ok Daddy," Olivia said, "Can I put the quarter in?"

"Sure Ozzie," Ryan said as he handed the quarter to her.

Olivia turned the dial and heard the clank of the plastic ball dropping. She opened the hatch and smiled as she looked at the ring. "I got the butterfly!" she exclaimed.

"Alright Ozzie!" Ryan praised, "Here let me open for you, these things can be kind of tricky."

"You know butterflies really aren't your thing Ryan," Nick's voice sounded from behind him.

Ryan looked over his shoulder from where he knelt on the ground and shook his head. "Well good thing I got the turtle."

"Oh turtle mood ring," Nick said, "I'm so jealous now."

"As you should be," Ryan sassed.

They walked to the table and Olivia tugged at Ryan's hand. "Daddy, you should give the turtle ring to Miss Samantha."

Ryan chuckled and tousled her hair. "You know you don't have to call her Miss Samantha outside of school, right Ozzie?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a habit," Olivia informed him.

Ryan looked at Samantha. She was talking to Horatio. She looked so beautiful; her eyes were bright and her hair silky and shiny. Ryan's heart thudded and he smirked to himself.

The group stopped at the table the hostess gave them. Ryan walked over to Samantha and kissed her passionately. He smiled at her and she returned it with a slightly confused one of her own.

"In public Ryan?" she whispered quietly.

"Yes, because I love you Samantha," Ryan said. He dropped to his knee and pulled out the turtle mood ring. "I know it's not much but it's all I got right now. Samantha Bones will you marry me?"

Samantha's mouth dropped open in shock and she stared at the turtle ring. "Oh my god yes!" she exclaimed.

The restaurant erupted into a sea of applause as Samantha jumped into Ryan's arms. She kissed him again and again and leaned her forehead against his.  
>"I love you," Ryan whispered to her.<br>Samantha smiled and kissed him again. "I love you, too, Ryan."

**I have to admit, it was kind of weird writing about Ryan loving another woman other than Jessica. o.O**


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter has some very harsh language towards the end. I used some words I don't normally use, but doing so adds to situation.**

* * *

><p>"<em>911 what's your emergency?"<em>

"_Oh my god they're beating him!"_

"_These men are beating that man across the street!"_

"_I think he's unconscious!"_

"_He's needs help!"_

"_Please hurry!"_

"_I don't know if he's breathing!"_

"_Oh my god he's bleeding from his head!"_

"_There's a little girl in the house!"_

"_They're getting away! Please hurry!"_

"_Send the police before they get away!"_

"_Oh god…I think he's dead."_

* * *

><p>Greg walked Lucy out to Samantha's waiting car. He lifted her into her booster seat and kissed her forehead. "Have a good day at school baby," he said to her.<p>

"I will Daddy!" Lucy happily exclaimed.

"Of course you will, and do you know why today's an extra special day?" Greg played along.

"Because it's my birthday!" Lucy loudly declared, "And my Daddy's bringing in cupcakes for my class!"

"That's right! Grandpa Horatio gave me the afternoon off so I could come to school and help my little girl celebrate."

"Yay me!"

Greg chuckled and kissed her again. "Thank you for driving her in Samantha," he said.

"Hey why should you drive all the way across town when I'm headed that way anyways?" Samantha said, "Besides I have to take this rug rat so why not just take them both in?"

Greg chuckled and smiled at her. "Thanks Sam," he said again.

Greg and Nick drove to the lab together holding hands, their fingers entwined together.

"Can you believe that little angel has been ours for five years now?" Nick asked.

"I can't, it seems just like yesterday the social worker called," Greg reminisced.

"I'm so glad Rick kicked me in the ass to listen to you," Nick said, his voice quiet and timid.

"You didn't want to do, did you?" Greg inquired.

Nick shook his head slowly. "I didn't think I was ready to become a father, but Warrick convinced me of other wise, and boy am I glad he did! As soon as that nurse placed Lucy in my arms I knew I wasn't going to be able to let her go ever!"

Greg smiled at him as Nick parked the car. He leaned over and gently kissed him. "I love you, Nicky," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Greg," Nick whispered back, "Even if you do get these crazy ideas, like adopting a little girl."

"But you love my ideas, too," Greg quietly said.

"Well I loved the adoption idea, that's for sure."

Greg looked into Nick's eyes, searching through his soul. "Do you want to adopt another?"

Nick looked at Greg, the wheels turning in his head. "I don't know, no I do, but not right now. Let's wait another year or so. You know, truly get settled into Miami before we try to expand our family."

Greg smiled. "Ok, I think I can deal with that idea."

* * *

><p>Greg fidgeted anxiously in the front seat of the Hummer. "Are we almost there?" he impatiently asked.<p>

Ryan chuckled and smiled at him. "Yeah Greg, we're almost there."

"Geez Greg you sound like a kid going to an amusement park," Eric laughed from the backseat.

"I'm sorry, I haven't been out in the field as a real CSI in forever!" Greg exclaimed, "It's been months since I've gotten the chance to investigate! And it's a real scene! A murder! Not some dumb break in like I've been working!"

Eric and Ryan laughed at their newest coworker's excitement. "Well I take it someone's excited they passed their level one proficiency," Eric chuckled.

They pulled up to the house where the patrol units were already waiting. Frank filled them in as they walked onto the bloody scene. Eric and Ryan looked at each other and smiled.

"You want to take charge of this one level one?" Eric asked.

"Do I ever!" Greg exclaimed, "Where do we want to start?"

Ryan chuckled. "Well I'll take the living room, Eric you get the kitchen, and Greg why don't you start in the bedroom."

"Oh bedroom, I like," Greg playfully said, "That's where all the good stuff is."

"And that's why I let you take this one bro," Ryan smiled.

Greg wandered around the bedroom, taking everything in at his own pace. He collected fibers and hairs and used his ALS. He dusted every surface and snapped pictures from every angle in the room. After two hours he decided he had collected everything he was going to find.

Greg wandered back into the living room and found Dr. Tom talking to Ryan. The bodies were both male in their early forties. Greg stood over the bodies and looked down at them.

"Oh my god," he muttered under his breath.

Ryan looked up at him. "What is Lassie?"

"They're partners," Greg said.

"Partners?" Ryan asked confused.

"Yeah, life partners," Greg continued, "The matching wedding bands on their left hands. They lived together, didn't they?"

Ryan looked over his notes he had taken. "Yeah, John Matson and Dave Smith, both listed as residents here."

"So don't you see?" Greg asked.

"See what?" Ryan asked confused.

"This is a hate crime."

Ryan sighed and looked at the bodies. "Greg you might be getting ahead of the evidence. This looks like a break in gone bad to me."

"On what grounds?"

"Well there have been other break ins in this neighborhood, four in the last month alone."

"Well I respectfully disagree with you," Greg said with a single nod.

Ryan smiled and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered.

"You're just jealous because Dad likes me best," Greg said with a laugh as he walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Ok, Ryan what do you think happened?" Horatio asked as he looked over the crime scene photos.<p>

"I think this was a break in," Ryan explained, "I think the suspect broke in, found the owners still there, panicked, and then killed the owners when they tried to fight back."

"Ok, sounds reasonable," Horatio said, nodding his head, "Greg, your turn."

"To be honest I think it's a hate crime," Greg said. "The suspect broke in and beat the owners to death because they were homosexual. Their injuries were too extensive and personal to just be a hit and run."

"But what about the other burglaries in the neighborhood?" Ryan inquired, "Four other house in the last month alone were busted into."

"But was anything actually taken?" Greg asked.

Ryan stood there for a moment. "I don't know, all I know is four houses were robbed."

"Well maybe the suspect was looking for the victims," Greg proposed. "Maybe they didn't know where the victims lived and they got it wrong the first couple of times. I mean houses in subdivisions do all kind of look alike."

"Alright, sounds like we need to reexamine the evidence again," Horatio said, "Back to square one. Was anything taken from the victims' house?"

"Not that we can tell off the bat," Ryan said, shuffling through pictures. "There was a lot of damage and obvious signs of a struggle through out the entire house. We're waiting for the victims' friends and family to come in and see if they can figure out if anything's missing."

"Alright, what about the findings on the bodies?" Horatio inquired.

"Tom found obvious signs of sexual assault," Greg said, "Anal tearing and semen on both the bodies."

"But can't that happen with anal sex anyways?" Ryan asked.

"Not if you do it right," Greg said with a smirk.

Ryan's ears flushed red and he dropped his eyes back to the pictures. "But it can still happen, right?"

Greg sighed. "Yes but not to the extent that we found," he said. Greg's phone beeped and he tapped the screen to find a message from Natalia in the DNA lab. "And it seems the semen on the bodies didn't match either victim. It belonged to two unknown males."

"Ok, so it could be sexual assault," Ryan said becoming annoyed.

"Could be?" Greg snapped, "Why doesn't someone shove their dick up your ass and we'll see how you like it!"

"Oh I'm sure you'd love to do that!" Ryan retorted.

"Oh so just because I'm gay I want to shove my dick whether I can get it?"

"Greg, Ryan, knock it off!" Horatio barked, "You're both acting unreasonable. Ryan, you and Eric are going back to that house and check it out again. Greg, you need to go if you're going to make it to Lucy's birthday at school. We'll resume this case tomorrow morning when you've both cooled down."

Ryan and Greg gave each other an angry glare before they turned and walked their separate ways.

* * *

><p>The children in Lucy's class and laughed and screamed as they ate the cupcakes Greg brought in.<p>

"You're Daddy's so cool!" one boy exclaimed to Lucy, "I wish I had two Dads instead of a dumb Mom! Is it fun having two Dads?"

"It's only the most super awesome coolest thing ever!" Lucy loudly declared.

"And they're cops!" another boy exclaimed.

"No, they're crime scene investigators," Lucy corrected.

"What's an investigator?"

"They look for stuff other people don't know is there," Lucy happily said as she bit into her cupcake, "Olivia's Daddy is one, too."

"But if they don't know it's there how do they know where to look?"

"Because they're smart, duh!"

Greg chuckled and sat with Samantha at her desk. He smiled at his soon to be sister-in-law. "Nice ring," he said, gesturing towards the new ring on Samantha's left hand. She smiled and held her hand up so the light danced off the simple silver band with the half caret diamond. "Thanks, I hear Ryan actually picked this one out on his own this time," she said, "And I have no intentions of returning it for something gaudy like his last wife did."

Greg smiled. "Were you just not into the turtle mood ring?" he playfully asked.

Samantha smiled happily. "Well I did like the turtle ring but it was turning my finger green," she said, "So Ryan bought me this one to replace it." She smiled shyly. "But I kept the other one."

* * *

><p>Greg opened the door when he heard the knock. There were three men standing on his doorstep. "Can I help you?" he asked them.<p>

They stared at him with an intense anger in their eyes.

"You're the fag, aren't you?" one asked him.

Greg was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"You're the fag that's corrupting that little girl, aren't you?" the same man asked.

"Fuck off," Greg said as he tried to shut the door.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Lucy asked from behind him.

"Nothing Lucy, just go back to your room sweetie," Greg said over his shoulder.

One of the men grabbed Greg by the front of his shirt and pulled him outside. He punched Greg in the head and several times in the face. They threw him to the ground and began kicking him and hitting him again and again.

"You like fucking boys, huh fag boy?"

"Is this how your momma raised you?"

"Taking away from the true citizens?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Women not good enough for you?"

Greg tried to fight them off but his strength was slowing leaving his body. One of them kicked him hard in the ribs and Greg felt a sharp pain stab into his chest. He knew his lung had just been punctured and now his time was limited before he drowned in his own blood.

Three shots rang out and Greg watched one of the men drop to the ground through his blurred vision. "Get away from my Daddy you bastards!" More shots fired and the other two took off running, leaving their wounded comrade on Greg's lawn.

Lucy dropped to Greg's side and dug through his pockets, pulling out his cell phone. She dialed 911 and held the phone to her ear.

"_911 what's your emergency?"_

"My name's Lucy Sanders-Stokes, I'm five years old and I live at 135 N. Terrace St. A bunch of men just beat up my Daddy and we need help!"

"_Ok sweetheart, we're sending the police and paramedics to your location. Stay on the line with me, ok sweetie? Are the bad men still there?"_

Lucy looked at the man on the ground. He was crying out in pain and grabbing at his left leg where blood was pouring from it. Lucy stood and walked over to him. She held Greg's glock up and looked at him. "You shouldn't have hurt my Daddy," she said as she pulled the trigger one last time.

Greg laid there helplessly on the ground. He watched as the man collapsed to the ground and Lucy lowered the gun to her side. "Lucy…" he muttered as the world went black before his eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

"_Rochelle, it's Nick. Something's happened. I need you to call me now!"_

* * *

><p>Nick rushed through the doors of the hospital and almost crashed into the receptionist's desk. "Greg Sanders, please, tell me where he is," he gasped as his heart pounded in his chest.<p>

"He's in trauma room three on the fifth floor," the receptionist said as she typed on her computer, "But only family is permitted to see him right now."

"I am family," Nick said, holding up his left hand, "He's my husband."

The receptionist's eyes grew wide as the light danced off the gold band on Nick's hand. "Oh, well then, I'll just need to see some ID to confirm you're his…um, his life partner."

Nick sped through the stairs in the hospital, not bothering to wait for the elevator. He hurried through the halls, stopping a random nurse to ask for Greg.

"Please ma'am," he choked as tears formed in his eyes, "I'm looking for my husband and my little girl."

The middle aged nurse looked at him with a soft expression. "Ok honey, what's his name?"

"Greg Sanders, and my daughter's name is Lucy Sanders-Stokes."

"Alright, follow me," she said, gesturing him to walk with her, "Lucy's downstairs in the children's wing. She's fine, just a little shook up, that's all."

"What about Greg?" Nick continued to press as the tears finally rolled down his cheeks.

She looked at Nick with a sorrowful expression. "Mr. Stokes it doesn't look good. We think your husband was a victim of a hate crime. He has multiple broken bones and lacerations, including a cracked skull, along with a punctured lung. He's currently in a medically induced coma in hopes of reducing the swelling in his brain. We don't know what kind of condition he's going to be in once he wakes up."

A straggled, pained noise escaped Nick's lips. He stopped and leaned with his forehead against the wall. He cried for several minutes as the nurse tried to comfort him.

"Mr. Stokes would you like to see your daughter first?" she quietly asked.

Nick shook his head. "No, I'd like to see Greg, please ma'am," he whispered, "I just need to see that he's still alive."

She smiled at him reassuringly and gently led him down the hall. "Well he's definitely alive, that's for sure. The man's got a strong will to live."

Nick felt his heart stop as he walked into the trauma room. Greg's lifeless body laid in the bed, multiple tubes and monitors hooked up all over his body. A ventilator was stuck down his throat and thick bandages covered most of his head.

Calleigh sat in a chair next to him crying silently. She stood at the sight of Nick and ran to his side, embracing him in her arms. She sobbed loudly as they stood there together.

"I'm so sorry Nick," she gasped between sobs, "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Calleigh," Nick quietly mumbled, "He's going to be ok."

Calleigh pulled back and looked into his chocolate brown eyes. "I'm sorry Nick, I can't believe this is happening," she said quietly, now more under control.

"Calleigh what are you doing here?" Nick quietly asked.

More tears poured down Calleigh's face as she looked back at Greg. "I'm here to process his body," she whispered.

Nick nodded his head. "Alright, then I'll leave you to your work," he said as he turned to leave. Calleigh grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards her back into the room. "No Nick," she quietly said, "You need to let him know you're here."

"But Calleigh I could compromise evidence," Nick sadly replied.

"Doesn't matter," Calleigh insisted, "You need to talk to him. He needs you Nick."

Nick sat on the edge of the bed. He gently held Greg's cold hand and looked at his battered face.  
>"Hey G," he whispered, "It's Nicky, but you probably already knew that. I just want you to know I'm here for you." Nick's voice cracked and he squeezed Greg's hand. "I love you Greg and I need you to keep fighting. I'm not ready to live in a world where you're not there. I'm not ready to be a single father or a widower. I love you G and I need you to pull through. I know you can do it. You're strong G, and you're a fighter. You keep on fighting and I'll keep fighting for you. I'm going to find out who did this to you and I'm going to personally arrest them for what they did to the man I love." Nick leaned down and gently kissed Greg's cheek. "I love you Gregory Sanders and I always will no matter what happens."<p>

Nick stood from the bed and walked towards the door. Calleigh wrapped her arms around him and held Nick close as he cried against her shoulder.

"He's going to make it Nick," she whispered, "He's going to be just fine."

"Thanks Calleigh," Nick whispered, secretly wondering if she was right.

* * *

><p>Lucy looked at her father as he walked into the hospital room. He sat on the edge of her bed and leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Hey Lucy-Lou," he whispered, "How are you?"<p>

Normally the rhyme would have made Lucy smile but it didn't this time. This time she just felt empty.

"Those men hurt Daddy," she whispered.

Nick slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, they did," he whispered. "I hear you were very brave though. The police told me you scared them away."

Lucy looked at Nick, her emerald eyes empty. "I killed a man, how was that brave?"

Nick looked at his daughter and felt his heart twist inside his chest. "Sometimes that's just what we have to do Lucy," he whispered.

"Have you ever killed someone?" Lucy asked.

Nick hesitated but nodded his head. "Yes, I have Lucy."

"Did any of them try to hurt Daddy?"

"Yes, they did."

Lucy looked at Nick as tears poured down her cheeks. "Is this how you felt?"

Nick felt his own tears roll down his cheeks. He pulled Lucy against his chest and buried his face into her hair and cried. "Yes, I did, every single time."

* * *

><p>Horatio held back tears as he looked at his eldest son's body in the hospital bed. His heart hurt as he watched Calleigh scrap under his nails.<p>

"How is he Calleigh?" Horatio quietly asked.

Calleigh looked up from her work and then darted her eyes away as tears formed in her eyes again. "He's alive, that's all I can ask for," she whispered.

"Calleigh are you going to be able to handle this case?"

"If you're asking if I'm going to let my emotions get the better of me, then I don't know." Calleigh said, "Greg's my friend and I care deeply about him. I _want_ to find the men who did this to him, Horatio. I want to bring justice to my friends."

Ryan cried out as he walked into the room. Walter helped him sit in a chair next to Greg's bed.  
>"Oh god," he muttered, "Oh god no."<p>

"Everything's going to be ok, Ry," Walter soothingly said.

"Oh god, Greg," Ryan muttered, "Oh god, please don't let this be true."

* * *

><p>Catherine Willows and Sara Sidle rushed into the hospital room. They stopped at the sight of Greg's body in the hospital bed. Horatio Caine and another young man sat next to his bed. They knew the second the young man looked up at them that it was Ryan Wolfe, Greg's half brother.<p>

"Catherine," Horatio said as he stood from his chair, "How did you get here so fast?"

"Nick called and when he said Greg was in the hospital we booked it out of Vegas on the next available chopper," Catherine explained, "And let me tell you, you almost got the entire Vegas grave shift here to boot. I allowed Sara to come along."

"Is Grissom coming, too?" Horatio inquired.

Catherine nodded her head. "He didn't have as easy a time catching a plane. He'll be here either tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Horatio, can we see him?" Sara asked, her voice small and timid.

Horatio nodded his head. "Of course," he said, leading them over to the bed.

Ryan stood and allowed one of the other women to take his seat. Catherine and Sara stared at Greg awe struck.

"I can't believe this," Sara said, "Who would do this to Greg? I mean he's just a harmless, puny geek. He doesn't even carry a gun out in the field half the time, and if he does he doesn't use it."

Catherine grasped Sara's hand gently. "I'm ranting again, aren't I?" Sara asked.

"Just a little," Catherine gently said.

Horatio's phone rang and he excused himself to answer the call. "Caine," he said into the phone.

"H, it's Natalia," the voice on the other end said, "I've got some result you'll want to hear."

"Alright, hit me," Horatio said.

"The skin samples Calleigh collected from under Greg's nails came back as a match from the break in case he and Ryan were working," Natalia explained, "Along with that it also matched the DNA samples from two of the other break in cases along with three other hate crime cases from other states, including Texas, Connecticut, and Montana."

"Wait Natalia, did you say Texas?" Horatio interrupted.

"Yeah," Natalia said. Horatio heard keys pounding on a keyboard. "It's from a case back in 2003 where a young man was beat to death."

"Natalia, what's the name on that case?"

Horatio heard papers shuffle and Natalia say something to someone in the room. "Oh my god," she muttered, "Matthew Stokes."

* * *

><p>Nick's eyes watered over when he walked into Greg's room and found Catherine and Sara sitting next to Greg's bed. They stood and each embraced him, quietly giving their condolences and encouragement.<p>

Nick sat next to Greg's side and carefully encased his hand within his own. Catherine sat next to him and gently touched Nick's shoulder. "It's worse than the last time, isn't it?" she quietly asked.

"The last time?" Ryan asked, worry filling his voice.

"Greg was a victim of a gang bang about five years ago," Sara explained, "It wasn't related to anything like this. Greg was just a witness there at the wrong time who tried to help and it just ended with…" her voice trailed off as tears formed in her eyes.

"That's kind of how Nick and Greg in avertedly came out to the lab," Catherine said, "Only Grissom, Warrick, and myself knew they were together."

"How did that happen?" Ryan quietly asked.

"Nick went ballistic," Catherine explained, "He punched a civilian, was really snippy, and at one point yelled something about his husband being in the hospital." Catherine sighed and shook her head. "That was the beginning of the longest Internal Affairs battle I've ever had to deal with."

The same middle aged nurse walked in and began checking Greg's monitors and took his temperature. "How is he?" Nick asked.

"Mr. Stokes your partner seems to be doing fine," she said, "But we need to do another MRI, it seems the swelling in his brain isn't going down as fast as the doctor wants it to."

A single sob broke through Nick's lips and he buried his face in his hands. Catherine wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him gently as he cried.

Horatio blushed slightly at the sound of his phone interrupting their silence. He looked to see Calleigh's number flashing.

"Calleigh, what do you got for me?" he said as he answered.

"Ballistics results," Calleigh said on the other end, "The round recovered from the man shot in the head matches the striations on the rounds I test fired from Greg's glock."

"So Greg shot him?" Horatio inquired, rather confused.

"I don't know Horatio," Calleigh said, "I swabbed his hands for GSR but it came back negative, and when I tested his clothes for gun shot residue I got nothing again."

"What about eye witnesses?" Horatio asked.

"Well we got a lot of 911 calls but it seems no one really wants to step forward and talk, which is terribly unfortunate." Calleigh sighed, "We've got a couple of people who are willing to talk and none of them have mentioned Greg shooting a gun. Plus the glock was found about four feet from Greg's body and the angle he was shot at would be impossible for Greg to accomplish. I really don't know what's going on Horatio. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright Calleigh," Horatio said, "Just go back to the scene and try to recreate what happened the best you can with what you got. We're missing something, something major."

Horatio hung up his phone and walked back over to Greg's bed. He looked down at the young man who was his eldest son. He knelt down and gently stroke Greg's battered face. "Please Greg," he whispered, "Tell me what happened."

"It was Lucy," Nick quietly muttered.

Horatio looked at Nick confused. "What did Lucy do?"

"Lucy shot the men," Nick said, "She told me those men started beating up Greg and she knew she had to protect her Daddy. She ran upstairs and jimmied the lock on the gun safe and grabbed Greg's glock. Then she shot at them to try and scare them away."

"How did Lucy know how to use a gun?" Sara asked shocked.

Nick shook his head. "I don't know, Greg and I are really strict about our guns. Lucy's only allowed to touch them when they're unloaded, and that's usually when we're cleaning them and she's helping. We've never taught her how to operate one and I have no clue how she jimmied the lock on our safe. We bought one that's full proof, one that we knew Lucy wouldn't be able to get into."

Catherine held his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "That's one clever girl you've got there Nicky," she said, "She must take after both her fathers."

Nick smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Thanks Catherine," he whispered.


	21. Chapter 21

**What Ryan tells Calleigh and Horatio is a real law, not something I made up.**

* * *

><p>'<em>Nick, don't worry about Lucy. I've got it all figured out. –Ryan'<em>

* * *

><p>"Horatio, we've got a problem," Calleigh said as she laid out a case file on the light table. "One of the witnesses confirmed that Lucy was the one that shot the men that attacked Greg."<p>

Horatio looked at her confused. "Ok, I already knew that," he said.

"No Horatio you don't understand, Lucy didn't just shoot that man when he was attacking Greg the witness said she shot him after he fell and was already bleeding out."

"Well it was self defense," Horatio said, "Lucy was scared."

"But it's not self defense if the man was injured and just lying on the ground wounded." Calleigh continued, "Horatio, Lucy _murdered_ that man."

"No she didn't," Horatio snapped, "My granddaughter did no such thing."

"Horatio, listen to me!" Calleigh snapped back, "Lucy shot a defenseless man who was injured."

"The poor girl was terrified! What was she supposed to do with the man that just tried to kill her father?"

"I don't know!" Calleigh exclaimed, "All I know is this doesn't look good."

"She can't be convicted of murder," Ryan quietly said from the doorway, "She's too young."

Calleigh looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"According to federal law a child under the age of seven years is still considered an infant and therefore incapable of forming malice aforethought." Ryan explained, "She's unable to form Mens Rea because she doesn't have the emotional or mental capacity needed to form such aforethought."

Calleigh stared at him shocked. "How do you know this?"

"Criminal Law 352," Ryan said, "I thought about being a lawyer for awhile when I was in college but changed my mind when I failed that class."

"Yet you somehow remembered that vital information," Calleigh said with a smile. "Well I guess we need to figure out how to apply for infancy immunity for Lucy. If we don't the prosecuting attorney is going to try and charge her with murder, and I can guarantee Nick doesn't need that kind of stress right now."

* * *

><p>Grissom walked into the hospital room. He stared at Greg's silent body. He sat in the chair by his bed and just stared at him.<p>

"My god Greg," he muttered, "How could someone do this to you?" His question was met by silence as he sat in the empty room alone with Greg. His hand shook as he carefully held Greg's hand. His fingers traced a bruise on the back of his hand.

"I'm so sorry Greg," Grissom whispered, "I'm so sorry you have to live through this again." Grissom suddenly felt tears form in his eyes as he looked at the young CSI. "I suppose you actually told your mother this time that you're a CSI working in the field again. I'm guessing Nick's also called Rochelle by now."

Grissom leaned forward in his chair and continued to stare at Greg's hand. "Tell me Greg," he whispered, "Tell me who did this to you. Give me some sign that will help us catch this man. And don't argue with me, I'm helping Horatio with this case no matter what you say. I may have never expressed my true gratitude for you but I appreciated all the work you did for the lab and our team. I know I was hard on you but you needed it. You needed that kick in the ass to straighten you out. But damn it Greg you were one amazing scientist. When the under sheriff told me one day I had to get rid of you because you were so out there I fought for you. I told him there wasn't a better forensic tech out there that could replace you, and I was damned if I was going to let you get away. Please Greg, tell me who did this."

Grissom sat in his chair silently as Greg laid there motionless and silent. Tears slowly rolled down Grissom's cheeks as he leaned his head downward. A sudden movement in his hand caused his head to shoot up in attention.

He looked down to see Greg's right index finger twitching on his hand that was still encased in Grissom's. He leaned down to get a better look at the bruise on Greg's hand. It was an impression of something. Grissom squinted and examined it. Realization washed over him as he suddenly comprehended what it was. He pulled out his phone and dialed Horatio's number.

"Caine," Horatio answered.

"Horatio, it's Grissom, I think I just found something worth examining."

* * *

><p>Calleigh examined the bruise on Greg's right hand under her ALS. "It appears to be a class ring," she said, "See how there's a large circle and then tiny words printed around it? I think it says Central High School, which really doesn't help because there's probably a Central High School in every city in every state in the country." Calleigh cocked her head and leaned in closer. "But I might have a name. David Fallon; probably isn't one of those in every city."<p>

Calleigh sent the name in a text to Walter who quickly searched it. He called Calleigh when he got a hit.

"David Fallon," he read off the screen, "Guys got quite the rap sheet here. Breaking and entering, assault and battery, and he's lived in Texas, Connecticut, Montana, and now Florida. That sounds a little familiar."

"Sure does," Calleigh said as she packed up her kit, "Do we have an address for David Fallon?"

"Yes and no," Walter said, "His last listed address is a halfway house but whether he's still there we can't tell yet."

"Well how about I drop off the pictures I've taken, I pick you up, and then we head off to this halfway house."

"Sounds good to me," Walter said.

* * *

><p>Nick watched as Greg slept in the hospital bed. He held Lucy close to his chest and held Greg's hand between his own and Lucy's. Rochelle and Robert Sanders walked in and stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of their son.<p>

"Oh god," Rochelle muttered, "My little peanut." She sat in a chair across from Nick and Lucy. "How could this happen?"

"I'm so sorry Rochelle," Nick quietly said, "I can't help but feel that somehow this is my fault."

"No Nick, you had nothing to do with this," Rochelle said, meeting his eyes. "Yes I was shocked when Greg came out to us but when I met you I knew there was nothing wrong with my son. He just fell in love with an incredible man who would take care of him."

She smiled at Lucy and held out her arms. Nick passed her across the bed and into Rochelle's arms. She held Lucy in her arms and kissed the top of her head. "And then he said the two of you were going to adopt a beautiful little girl. I was a little disappointed that my first grandbaby wasn't going to actually be from my flesh and blood but when I met Lucy all my thoughts about family changed. Then that little girl saved my son's life. Really you saved his life Nick. If you hadn't asked him out and then asked him to marry you and then agreed to adopt this little girl my son would have died."

Rochelle Sanders looked into Nick's chocolate colored eyes. "Thank you Nick, thank you for all you've done for my son."

Nick smiled and reached out for her hand. He held it gently in his large palm. "You're welcome Rochelle, and thank you for letting me have your son."

"Aww, that's so cute," a drowsy voice muttered. Rochelle and Nick looked to see Greg's eyes just barely open. "My Mommy and Nick are having a moment."

"Greg," Nick breathlessly said. He began to reach for Greg's face, but he stopped and looked at Rochelle. She nodded at him. "Go ahead, you first," she smiled.

Nick carefully closed the distance and gently kissed Greg. "G, you're awake," he whispered.

"Yeah, medically in-in-induced comas only last for a day or sooo," Greg slurred. He looked towards Rochelle and Lucy and smiled. "Momma, you're here."

Rochelle stood and leaned over her son. "Yes peanut, I'm here," she kissed his cheek and gently set Lucy in his lap.

"Lucy b-b-baby," Greg stuttered, "How are you sweetie?"

"Daddy, I'm sorry you got hurt," Lucy whispered.

"It's ooook Lucy, it's n-n-not your fault."

The nurse walked in and smiled at Greg. "Mr. Sanders, you're awake now," she said as she began writing downs notes on Greg's chart. "How are you feeling?"

"Mah head huuurts," Greg stuttered.

"Well that's pretty expected, seeing as your skull is cracked in three different places. The swelling's finally gone down though, so that's good. For awhile there we thought we were going to have to remove part of your skull to bring the swelling down, but you pulled through alright."

"What h-h-h-happened to me?"

"Well you were beaten pretty badly, and if this little girl hadn't been there you probably would have died," the nurse explained. "You've got a few cracked ribs, some major bruising, a few bones broken in your left hand, cracked knee cap, three fractures in your skull, and one massive concussion."

"Wh-wh-why am I stuttering?" Greg inquired.

"Mr. Sanders were you not listening?" the nurse playfully asked, "You have a major concussion, you're going to have some troubles with your speech for awhile, along with some coordination problems, too."

Greg snaked his arms around Lucy's small body and held her close to his chest. "My head itches, too," he said.

"You have a few stitches," the nurse explained, "We needed to piece part of your skull back together and sew up a few gashes on your scalp."

"Do I have h-h-hairrr?"

"Not really, we shaved your head and it's going to have to stay bald for awhile."

"Awww man, I d-d-d-don't like being baaald," Greg stuttered with a smile towards Nick. "Kiss Ni-Ni-Nicky," he said with a pucker of his lips.

Nick chuckled and leaned down and gently kissed Greg. "You always were very persuasive G," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Ryan smiled when he walked into the hospital room and saw Greg awake. "Hey Greg," he quietly said as he walked over and stood next to Nick, "How you feeling?"<p>

"My heeead hurts," Greg stuttered. He reached out and grabbed Rochelle's hand. "Momma, thisss ish my b-b-brother!" he said excitedly.

Rochelle smiled at Ryan and looked at the same eyes on his face that her own son had. "So you're the young man my peanut has been telling me all about," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, Ryan Wolfe," he said as he held out his hand.

"It's good to finally meet you Ryan," Rochelle politely said.

"Like wise," Ryan quietly said.

"Rochelle?" Rochelle turned to see a tall man with red hair and blue eyes standing in the doorway. "Horatio," she whispered, "Oh my god, Horatio Caine."

"Rochelle Maher," Horatio whispered, "Is it really you?"

"Yes, well actually it's Rochelle Sanders now, but yes it's me."

Horatio slowly walked towards her, taking in her presence. "You look good Rochelle," he quietly said.

"Thank you Horatio," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Nick walked into the interrogation room, David Fallon sitting at the table across from Calleigh and Frank. His face went pale and his eyes grew twice in size at the sight of Nick.<p>

"I look just like him, don't I?" Nick asked him as he sat down next to Calleigh, "I look just like that fag you killed eight years ago in Austin, Texas. That fag that you approached and asked him if he was gay. Then when he said yes you told him you and your friends were also gay. Then you lured him back to your place, beat the shit out of him, and then dumped his body in the woods. But what you didn't know is that he didn't die. He was still alive when you dumped him out there. But I'm not that faggot. That man was my little brother. His name was Matthew, did you know that?"

David Fallon stared at him with wide eyes. "He was your brother?"

Nick slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, he was. Do you have a brother?"

Fallon hesitated but nodded his head. "Yeah, his name is also Matthew. I used to call him Matty when we were growing up."

"Huh, that's funny," Nick said, "Is your husband's name also Greg Sanders? Because I really hope not since the only Greg Sanders I know is my husband and he's currently lying in a hospital bed trying not to die." Nick leaned forward and stared at Fallon. "Do you know what it's like to almost have the one person you love more than anything in the world taken away from you? I got a call saying my husband was nearly beaten to death in a fit of pure fury and hate. Do you know what that did to me?"

"What the fuck does it matter?" Fallon asked, "Its one last fag in the world. One less fag taking away from the true citizens."

Nick leapt from his chair and grabbed Fallon by the front of his shirt. "Who the fuck do you think you are? What makes you think you have the power to decide who is and isn't a true citizen? What makes you think you're so high and mighty?"

Calleigh stood and gently grasped Nick's arm. "Don't do it Nick," she whispered, "It's not what Matthew and Greg would want."

Nick's hands shook as he released his grip on Fallon's shirt. He stepped back and stared at him. "I know we can't prove it now but I know you're the one who killed my brother. I know you're the one he spent his last hours with. You're the fucker who ruined his life. He should have been with his friends and family when he left this world, but he wasn't. He was with you."

Nick turned and started to walk from the room when Fallon spoke. "Your cunt of a daughter killed my brother. That man she killed was Matty."

Nick turned and looked at him. "Well then I guess we're even. A tooth for a tooth, a life for a life, my Matthew for your Matty."

* * *

><p>Greg was wheeled from the hospital out to their waiting car. Nick smiled and helped him into the car. He gently kissed him and stroked his cheek. "I love you G," he whispered. Nick drove them home, holding Greg's shaking hand the whole way.<p>

"Everything's going to be ok, Greg," Nick quietly said to him, "You're safe now. No one will ever hurt you again."

"Yo-you can't promise that Ni-Nicky," Greg stuttered, "You ca-ca-can't guarantee that no one will ever lay a violent hand on me."

"No but I can swear that I'll always protect you."

"Th-th-that's what you said last time," Greg said so quietly it was almost inaudible.

* * *

><p>Nick held the screaming Greg protectively in his arms. Greg had been having a nightmare and Nick awoke to him screaming out in pain. There was nothing Nick could do but hold him and wait for him to fully wake up. When he did Greg's eyes adjusted to the light and he stared at Nick confused.<p>

"Whe-whe-where did they go?"

"No where, no one's here but you and me G," Nick soothingly whispered. "I promise, no one's here, it's just us."

"Bu-bu-but they were here Nicky," Greg continued to stutter, "They were here, hitting me, kicking me, killing me."

"No G, we're all alone. No one's here, I can assure you of that."

Greg began to sob in Nick's arms. They were loud, pain filled cries that spoke of the anguish he had endured. "Why are they in my head?" he whispered, "Why won't they leave me alone?"


	22. Chapter 22

'_You know why I like texting, Sara? Because then at least no one hears this damn stutter. –G'_

* * *

><p>Greg and Nick laid in their bed together, naked and breathing heavily as they came down from their orgasmic highs. They were each on their side, staring into each other's eyes. Nick's hand ran up and down the length of Greg's back and he smiled at his younger husband. He leaned over and gently kissed Greg. "I love you, G," he whispered.<p>

"I-I-I loooove you, too, Ni-i-icky," Greg stuttered.

"I'm so glad you're getting better," Nick continued to whisper, "I've missed the old Greg. It was so hard watching you lie there in that bed. I thought I was going to loose you." Nick's voice cracked as he started to cry. He kissed Greg again and held him close against his chest.

"When you were lying there all I could think of was I should have left you alone all those years ago," Nick continued as his voice shook. "I thought I should have never asked you to hang out with Warrick and me after work. I should have let you live your life and then none of this would have happened. We would have never been transferred and you would have never been attacked. I caused you this pain because I had to be selfish and force my way into your life."

Greg propped himself up on his forearms and looked down at Nick, as his arms shook under the effort. "Noooo Nicky," Greg stuttered, "I wa-wa-wa-wanted you in my liiiife. I wanted yooou sooo baahd." Greg's hands roamed across Nick's smooth chest. "I love you Nicky," Greg said in a crystal clear voice for the first time in months, "And there's nothing that could change that. Sooo what if-if-if I got the shit beeeat out of me? I love you Nick Stokes and I'm proud to say you're my husband."

* * *

><p>Horatio watched as Greg stared at the kit spread out in front of him. A shoe with fake blood and Horatio's fingerprints planted on it sat on the table in front of him.<p>

"You can do it," Horatio quietly encouraged by his side, "You know what to do. Just think about, think carefully."

Greg looked at the kit. He carefully reached out a shaking hand and slid on a pair of gloves. He fumbled with them but managed to get them on without tearing the latex.

"Good, good," Horatio encouraged, "You're on the right track."

Greg gave him a crooked smile and reached for a cotton swab. He fumbled to get it open but did just fine. He swabbed the blood stain but Horatio stopped him. "You forgot something," he gently said. Greg thought it over and nodded his head. He discarded the used swab and grabbed another. He then picked up an eye drop sized bottle of water and administered a few drops on the swab. Greg collected the dried blood sample and carefully placed it in an evidence envelope.

He collected a few other blood and trace samples before he began dusting the shoe for prints. Greg stopped and chuckled when nothing appeared on the shoe. "I forgot the powder," he laughed as he picked up a canister.

Horatio smiled and lightly chuckled. "Good, you recognized your mistake," he said optimistically.

"Well it's a-a-a little hard to du-dust for fingerprints without dust," Greg continued to chuckle. He loaded his brush and gently brushed it across the shoe's material. Perfect latent prints appeared on the surface and Greg smiled at his work. He grabbed a few pieces of lift tape and struggled to peel them apart. He sighed and held it out for Horatio. "I can't get it with gloves," he whispered, slightly defeated.

"It's ok Greg," Horatio said, pulling on gloves, "It's ok to say you need help. It's kind of a difficult task." Horatio peeled the lift tape apart and handed it to Greg. He smiled and accepted the tape and carefully placed it over a fingerprint and swiftly lifted it off the shoe. He sealed the tape back together and accepted another from Horatio.

Greg carefully loaded a roller with ink and rolled it over the bottom of the shoe. He grabbed a piece of paper and firmly pressed the shoe against the paper. When he lifted the shoe he dragged the shoe and smeared the print. "Oops," he muttered as he grabbed a new piece of paper. He pressed the sole against the paper again. When he lifted the shoe a perfect impression of the sole of the shoe was inked on the paper. "There, much better," Greg muttered.

"I think I'm done," Greg said as he looked at Horatio.

Horatio looked over all his samples and smiled. "Yes, it looked like you're done," he commented. Horatio examined all the evidence Greg had collected and thought over his options. "Greg you've done a fine job here, but I'm sorry I don't think I can let you back out into the field. The mistakes you made were minor but when in court they can be viewed as major. You still have a major brain injury, Greg. One DA gets a whiff of that and they'll be questioning the entire lab."

Greg nodded his head, trying to not let his words sting. "I un-understand," he muttered.

"I'm sorry Greg," Horatio said again, "It's just too risky."

Greg slowly nodded his head again. "I un-und-understand Hor-Hor…H."

Horatio gently touched his arm and Greg looked at him. "You're cleared to do lab work though," he quietly said, "And I need an amazing forensic tech like you. You just need some time Greg and everything will be back to normal. You'll be out in the field again, working towards your level two placement."

Greg smiled shyly at him. "Thanks Dad," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Ryan smiled at the sight of his older brother as he walked into the DNA lab.<p>

"So how did it go?" Ryan asked as he began arranging samples on the lab table that he had been running for Greg.

"W-well, I can w-w-work in the lab again," Greg explained in his shaky voice, "But I can't go back into the field for a-a-awhile."

Ryan looked at Greg. He hadn't missed the pain that flashed across Greg's face. "I'm sorry, G," he quietly said.

"I-i-i-it's oook," Greg stuttered, "I'd-d rather be r-r-ready and not make a-a-a mistake that c-c-could compromise the entire lab."

Ryan smiled at him. "You know that's probably a good thing," he said. "You'll be back in the field before you know it."

"Y-you think so?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, your stutter's going away," Ryan said with a smile.

Greg looked at him with an angry glance. He grabbed a case file and hurried out the door. Ryan watched him leave and suddenly felt terrible.

"He's still pretty sensitive about the stutter," Nick said as he walked into the lab.

"I noticed," Ryan said, "I kind of wish I had known before I said that."

"Hey don't sweat about it buddy," Nick said, clapping him on the shoulder. "He's made a lot of progress but he's just having a hard time seeing it. He's already more like the old Greg than he was before."

Ryan smiled and continued shuffling through paperwork. "Well I wish he hadn't taken that file," he quietly commented, "I needed that one."

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Poor lab rat probably didn't even know what he was taking. He's still a little lost."

* * *

><p>Greg stared up at Calleigh's blue-green eyes as his head pounded. She was saying something but his brain couldn't comprehend.<p>

"What happened?" Greg slurred.

"You passed out," Calleigh explained, gently stroking his hair.

"H-how?" he inquired.

"I don't know," Calleigh said, "I just found you lying here."

Greg groaned and rubbed his eyes as tears began to form. "W-why does this k-keep happening?"

"Come on Greg, let's get you home," Calleigh quietly said as she helped him to his feet.

Greg allowed her to help him down the hall and to the locker room. He silently began to cry as shame washed over him. Calleigh helped him sit on a bench in the locker room and looked at him.

"What's wrong Greg?" she quietly asked.

"I-I-I c-c-an't do anything," Greg stuttered as he began to cry harder. "I th-th-thought I was ba-ba-better but I'm not. Tho-tho-those bastards did this to me! They ruined my life!"

Calleigh gently wrapped her arms around him and held him as Greg cried uncontrollably.

* * *

><p>Nick walked into the break room and poured himself a cup of coffee. He leaned against the counter as he silently drank it. Eric walked in and looked at his distressed face.<p>

"How's Greg?" he quietly asked.

Nick shook his head. "After he passed out the other day Human Resources ordered that he take a few more days off before he comes back to work," Nick quietly explained. His bottom lip quivered as tears formed in his eyes. "He's so depressed," he whispered, "He wants to come back to work but he's too weak still. He doesn't want to stay home alone and he doesn't like Lucy being away. His parents are staying with us right now to help him cope. He's so exhausted because he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming from the night terrors. I just wish there was something I could do to help him. Something to make the pain go away."

Eric grasped his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "He's going to be just fine Nick," he said. "He just needs time and patience, two things I've noticed you possess."

Nick smiled. "Thanks Eric, I really needed to hear that."

Eric clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "If there's one thing I've noticed its Greg's a lot tougher than he looks."

* * *

><p>Greg stared at the machinery in the DNA lab. He began running samples as his hands shook. He needed to do this. He needed to prove he could do it. If he could just show everyone he could do it then everything would go back to normal.<p>

He prepped the sample and dropped it into a test vial. He gently placed it in the mass spectrometer and pressed a few buttons. The machine whirled to life. Greg sighed and looked at his work with a satisfied expression.

Natalia walked in and looked at Greg. His hands were shaking, his eyes seemed unfocused, and the mass spectrometer was running.

"Oh my god, Greg, what did you do?" Natalia exclaimed as she rushed over to the machine. She slammed her hand against the emergency stop and opened the machine to retrieve the test vial. "That was my only sample! What am I supposed to do now?"

"I w-was running the sample!" Greg exclaimed, trying to grab the vial from her.

"I didn't want you to do it, Greg!" Natalia snapped.

"Why? Be-because you think I-I would mess it up?"

Horatio walked into the DNA lab and found Natalia and Greg nearly wresting each other over a sample. "Hey, hey!" he yelled, pulling them apart, "What the hell's going on here?"

"Greg was running my sample!" Natalia snapped.

"I was t-t-trying to help!" Greg retorted, "I can do this!"

"No you can't!" Natalia yelled, "You can't do this, Greg!"

Greg froze and stared at her. His eyes began to water as Natalia's words stung his heart. "You think I can't do this," Greg quietly said. "You think that I'm a worthless piece of junk because I'm injured."

"No Greg," Natalia quietly tried to defend herself, trying to sound sympathetic, "I didn't say that."

"No!" Greg cried out as he staggered backwards, "You think I'm useless because I had the shit beat out of me and I have a brain injury! You think I can't do my job anymore because I can hardly remember how to tie my shoes!"

"No Greg, please listen to me," Natalia practically whispered. "Please listen to me."

"Noooo!" Greg screamed, clutching his hands to his head as pain began to seer through his brain. He blindly ran through the lab and out the door, bumping into several people.

Nick stormed into the lab and glared at Natalia. "What just happened?" he yelled, "Why did Greg just run out of here screaming?"

Natalia looked at him terrified as tears began to stream down her face. "I screwed up," she whispered, "I made Greg feel incompetent because I insulted him."

"What the hell Natalia!" Nick snapped, "Why would you do that? Don't you understand how delicate he is right now?"

"I'm sorry Nick," Natalia continued to cry, "I wasn't thinking."

"Natalia, Greg can't even use the toaster some days without bursting into tears," Nick continued to yell. "He feels inadequate and useless right now. I can't say anything critical to him because he feels hopeless, like he's screwed up! Do you understand what we're going through? Do you know what it's like to have to explain to your little girl that her father doesn't hate her for killing a man? Do you know how much it hurts to have to explain to my daughter why Daddy doesn't smile anymore? Do you understand what this has done not only to my husband but to my family? I can't sleep at night some days because Greg screams all night because those men are in his head beating him again! I have to watch him suffer because of what three fucking bastards did to my brother and husband!"

Nick was shaking as he finally managed to stop yelling. He looked at the terrified Natalia as she cowered from him. Horatio gently touched her shoulder and she leaned into him.

"You don't know," Nick whispered as a single tear slid down his cheek. "You don't know what we're going through right now."

Nick stormed from the lab and down the hall. He knew where to find Greg, he always ran to the same place when something upset him lately. Nick quietly walked around the row of lockers in the locker room to find Greg sitting in the corner, but he wasn't alone. Greg was sitting on Ryan's lap with Ryan's arms wrapped protectively around him. Nick smiled at the sight of the tall Greg in small Ryan's arms. Nick quietly walked closer and smiled when he heard Ryan quietly singing to Greg.

Nick knelt beside Greg and Ryan and smiled at them. He gently touched Greg's shoulder and Greg looked at Nick with a frightened expression.

"That's a beautiful song, Ryan," Nick quietly said.

"Thanks," Ryan smiled, "My mother used to sing that song to me when I was a kid. I would have nightmares where my family was leaving me behind and Momma would sing it to me to help me fall back asleep." Ryan gently stroked Greg's hair and smiled at him. "Feeling better, G?" he quietly asked.

Greg silently nodded his head. Ryan wrapped his arms tighter around Greg's slender body and held him close to his body.

"Everything's going to be alright, Greg," he whispered. "Everything's going to go back to normal because you're strong and intelligent and the best lab forensic technician there is. Everything's going to be alright."

Silent tears ran down Greg's cheek as he leaned further into his brother. "How can you know?"

"Because Greg," Ryan whispered, "You're my brother, which means you're just as awesome as me."

Greg suddenly laughed and leaned his head against Ryan's and smiled. "Thanks Ryan," he whispered, "You're the greatest brother I could have ever asked for."

* * *

><p>Nick smiled as Greg gingerly kissed him. He lightly moaned as Greg's hands wandered across his bare chest and fiddled with his belt.<p>

"I love you, Nicky," Greg whispered.

Nick looked at him perplexed. "Say that again, G," he whispered.

"I love you?" Greg quietly repeated.

"Say something else," Nick said.

"Like what?" Greg asked.

"Anything, say anything," Nick said.

"Uh, my name's Greg Sanders, I live in Miami with my wonderful husband, Nick, and beautiful daughter, Lucy. I used to work for Las Vegas but I got kicked out because I apparently fell in love with the wrong kind of person and the undersheriff didn't like that. I just recently learned I have a brother named Ryan and had a total freak out when I discovered my estranged father is Horatio Caine."

Nick grabbed Greg's face and kissed him excitedly. Nick smiled at him and Greg stared at him confused.

"Nicky?" Greg quietly said.

"You didn't hear it, did you?" Nick quietly asked.

"Hear what?" Greg asked confused.

"Your stutter," Nick said, "It's gone."

Greg's eyes doubled in size as shock overtook him. "I'm not stuttering?"

Nick smiled and shook his head. "You weren't stuttering earlier when you were arguing with Natalia or in the locker room with Ryan. In fact I haven't heard you stutter since lunch."

Tears formed in Greg's eyes as sudden joy rushed through him. He kissed Nick passionately and held him close against his chest. "I'm not stuttering," he whispered.

"Ryan was right," Nick whispered, "You are amazing."


	23. Chapter 23

**And here it is, the final chapter of this story. I hope everyone's enjoyed it and thanks for all the reviews!**

**This chapter does contain some suggestive material, but again nothing vulgar or graphic.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Mary, it's Ryan…I have something I want to show you…I'd really appreciate it if you would call me, sis…I can't believe it."<em>

* * *

><p>Nick smiled to himself as he wandered around Horatio's backyard. It was the fourth of July and Horatio had invited the team over for a barbecue and fireworks. Nick watched as Greg helped Lucy roast a marshmallow over the bon fire. Greg's hands were shaking but the tremors were less frequent as time went on. Nick smiled and continued to watch the man he loved and his daughter. In just one month Nick and Greg would be celebrating their eight year anniversary. In just four months Ryan would be marrying Samantha.<p>

Nick strolled across the grass towards Greg. Horatio caught his eye and Nick nodded at him. Horatio smiled and winked at him in response. Horatio walked over to Greg and said something briefly before he lifted Lucy into his arms.

Nick walked up to Greg and pulled him in for a kiss that seemed to grab everyone's attention. Greg was left breathless as he and Nick parted and he looked deep into Nick's eyes. He was briefly aware that everyone was watching them.

"Greg Sanders," Nick said, "Twelve years ago I met a squirrely little lab rat who loved heavy metal music and stupid shirts, yet somehow you stole my heart away. I fell in love with you and four years later you became my husband. For a few years now I've been planning on a rededication ceremony for our tenth anniversary, but I can't wait any longer. I want to renew our vow that we made all those years ago next month.

"So I guess the only thing I can really ask you right now is," Nick said as he dropped to his knee, "Greg Sanders, will you marry me, again?"

Greg's eyes widened with a mixture of emotions as Nick opened a ring box to reveal two gold bands with alternating rubies and diamonds. Tears began streaming down his face as he looked into Nick's chocolate brown eyes.

"Yes," he finally whispered, "Yes a thousand times over!"

Nick beamed as he rose to his feet and encased Greg in his arms. He kissed him passionately and held him close to his body. Lucy cheered loudly as she ran to her fathers, wrapping her arms around their legs. Nick smiled at her and lifted her into his arms. He handed her to Greg and reached into his pocket.

"I got something for you, too, Lucy-Lou," he smiled as he pulled out a small jewelry box. Inside was a gold, heart shaped locket. Rubies and diamonds ran along the edge and an 'L.S.S.' was engraved in the center of the jewels. Lucy smiled as Nick wrapped the gold chain around her neck. Lucy touched the locket and kissed Nick's cheek.

"Thank you Pa-pa," she whispered.

Nick smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "Anything for my little girl," he whispered.

Lucy popped the locket open and looked at the picture of her, Nick, and Greg inside it. "What does it say, Pa-pa?" she asked, indicating the inscription on the opposite side.

"The same thing that's on Daddy and my new rings," Nick smiled. "Love is kind. Love is patient. Love is pure. Love is ours." Nick read.

Greg smiled and kissed Nick. He rested his forehead against Nick's as he continued to cry. "How did I get so lucky to get stuck with you?" he whispered.

Nick smiled and kissed him back. "The same reason I did," he whispered, "But with a little help from a friend."

* * *

><p>Greg pressed his lips against Nick's and welcomed his tongue into his mouth. His long arms wrapped around Nick's strong shoulders and he pressed his chest as close as he could against Nick's as their bodies worked together to reconfirm their love.<p>

"I love you, Nicky," Greg whispered into Nick's ear as he hovered over Nick.

"I love you, too, Greg," Nick responded as he felt Greg's heart beat within him. "I'm so glad you liked your present."

"It's one of the greatest gifts anyone's ever given me," Greg quietly told him.

"Even better than the ant farm I gave you for your thirtieth birthday?" Nick lightly chuckled.

Greg chuckled and rested his forehead against Nick's. He ran his fingers down Nick's cheek and watched what little light was in the room dance off his new wedding band. "A thousand times better."

* * *

><p>Ryan walked into Horatio's office and smiled at his boss.<p>

"You wanted to see me, H?" he said as he approached the desk.

Horatio nodded his head and stood. He held a large white envelope in his hands as he approached Ryan. "I have something I wanted to give you," he quietly said. "I thought about saving it until your birthday but it didn't seem entirely appropriate."

Horatio held the envelope out to Ryan, who accepted it with a nervous glance. Ryan opened the blank envelope to find several pieces of thick white paper inside.

"I did some research," Horatio quietly said, "It's taken me a long time but I finally figured it all out."

Ryan read over the first document in his hands. It was a birth certificate from a hospital in New Orleans. The name across the top read "Ryan Andrew Caine." The mother was listed as Maya Taylor and the father Horatio Caine.

Tears overfilled Ryan's eyes as he looked at his original birth certificate. He was born on August 25th, 1977 at 12:43pm, weighing in at seven pounds, eight ounces and eighteen inches in length. Tiny ink impressions of his feet and hands were pressed into the paper.

"I have a birth certificate," he whispered through the tears, "I'm a real person."

Horatio nodded his head and placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "There's another one," he whispered.

Ryan flipped to the next paper and felt more tears form in his eyes as he read over his birthmother's death certificate. Maya Taylor had died less than three months after Ryan was born from alcohol poisoning on November 17th, 1977. Her autopsy report was included in the envelope.

"I didn't know if you would want that," Horatio quietly said, "But I figured you'd like to have it if you ever wanted to learn more about your birthmother."

Ryan cried and held the papers against his chest. Horatio gently embraced him in his arms and held him as he wept.

"Thank you, Dad," Ryan whispered in an almost inaudible voice.

"You're welcome, son," Horatio quietly replied.

* * *

><p>Ryan sat with Greg on the back porch of Horatio's beach house. They watched their daughters toddle around in the grass, playfully chasing each other and wrestling.<p>

"I have never seen Olivia play like that before," Ryan commented as he took a drink of his beer. "Your hooligan daughter has had quite the influence on her."

"Well I've never seen Lucy willingly wear a dress until she met Olivia," Greg chuckled. "We practically had to wrestle her into one for Warrick's funeral when she was two."

Ryan smiled at his half brother. He held out his beer bottle and Greg clicked his against it.

"To friends and family," Ryan said.

"To the ones who changed our lives forever," Greg smiled.

* * *

><p>"<em>Dear Warrick,<em>

_It's been ten years since Greg and I got married and I don't regret a minute of it. I can't thank you enough for kicking me in the ass all those years ago to ask him out for a drink. If it hadn't been for you and that first long island, well I don't know what our life would be like. Lucy's gotten so big. She'll be starting second grade this upcoming fall. Calleigh's pregnant with our second baby and we're already looking into adopting a third. _

_Greg's doing better now. He just passed his level two proficiency and has been progressing in leaps and bounds. He's come a long way from where he was two years ago after those men beat him. Most of the brain damage has healed. He still wakes up with nightmares some nights and on occasion I've caught his hands shaking._

_Ryan and his wife, Samantha, have been happily married for two years now and she's already expecting baby number four. They adopted their third, a little boy with skin the color of mahogany and eyes like grass. He kind of looks like you a little and sometimes I think he just might be you._

_I miss you everyday Warrick. You're the reason Greg and I started our life together. If you hadn't been there all those times to help me make these decisions Greg would have never found his lost brother. We have you to thank for so many great things in our lives. I wish you were here to celebrate with me, but in a way I know you are._

_Love Always,_

_Nick Stokes_

_Ps- You still owe me a hundred for that bet we made back in 2004. What, did you really think I would forget?"_

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><p><strong>I decided I wanted to end the story with Nick talking to Warrick one last time. I feel like Warrick was kind of the reason all of this happened to Nick and Greg and the reason they had to move to Miami, so I wanted to dedicate something to him. <strong>

**This wasn't exactly how I envisioned ending the story, but I felt like trying to add something else would have just made the story too busy.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this one and thanks to all who have reviewed and added it to their favorites! :D**


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